All PFN ARTICLES

California-based TRIC Robotics has developed autonomous field robots that use UV-C light to suppress pathogens, fungal diseases and pests without applying conventional chemical sprays. Operating mostly at night, the robots expose crops to precisely controlled doses of ultraviolet light, disrupting disease cycles while reducing the need for chemical intervention. The timing is significant.

Six days ago we published THIS STORY about the Zespri Paradox - it was wrong for one small but embarrassingly point and as is sometimes inconvenient in journalism - the fact got in the way of a good story.

Researchers at UNSW Sydney have demonstrated a method of producing espresso-strength coffee using ultrasonic sound waves and room-temperature water.

The company produces whole-cut plant-based meat products using a fermentation-based process built around soy and wheat proteins. Unlike many first-generation plant-based brands focusing heavily on burgers and mince, Chunk has built its range around premium steaks, pulled meat products and diced meat alternatives designed to deliver a more convincing eating experience.

The concept is simple but powerful. Imagine a Taupo Bio Valley stretching across New Zealand's geothermal corridor, where renewable energy, industrial heat and biotechnology come together to produce the next generation of food ingredients and nutritional products. Precision fermentation facilities could manufacture animal-free whey protein, casein, collagen and specialised food ingredients using microbes rather than livestock. Geothermal energy would provide the stable power

A kiwifruit grown in the Bay of Plenty travels 18,500 kilometres to Germany and can still sell for less than the same fruit sitting on a New Zealand supermarket shelf. Meanwhile, imported butter is increasingly appearing at prices below locally produced butter in New Zealand supermarkets. For many consumers it feels absurd. For New Zealand, it may be one of the most important economic signals of the decade - the Zespri Paradox.

Baby formula may be about to join the growing list of foods being produced with biotechnology rather than traditional agriculture. Food giant Nestlé has backed US biotech company Helaina, which uses precision fermentation to produce proteins found in human breast milk. The move signals that some of the world's largest food companies are looking beyond alternative meat and towards specialised infant nutrition products where biotechnology can deliver ingredients that are diffic

New Zealand did not lose a seaweed company. It lost a seat at the table of a rapidly emerging global methane-reduction industry. CH4 Global was established in New Zealand in 2019 with the goal of commercialising Asparagopsis seaweed as a methane-reducing livestock feed supplement. The technology works. Research has repeatedly shown methane reductions of up to 90 percent or more in cattle. Investors backed the company. Global demand emerged. International partnerships followe

The first US consumer product made with Solar Foods’ Solein® has landed and it is not a burger, milk, snack bite or futuristic food demo. It is a ready-to-mix protein powder from Ambrosia Collective, launched under its Planta brand in salted caramel coldbrew flavour, with 20g of protein per serving and 0g of sugar.

The future of vegetables may not depend on forcing consumers to “eat healthier” at all. It may depend on flavour. New research published in Nutrition Reviews has found that adding herbs and spices to vegetables significantly increases the likelihood consumers will choose them and importantly, actually eat them. In commercial cafeteria trials, seasoned vegetables consistently outperformed plain steamed versions, with diners selecting herb-seasoned broccoli, green beans and cau

The Mexican avocado industry has smashed a new Guinness World Record after producers in Tancítaro, Michoacán created the world’s largest bowl of guacamole bowl, weighing in at 6.8 metric tonnes and whipped up over just two and a half hours. More than 1,000 growers and community members participated in the spectacle during the 13th annual Avocado Festival, turning what could have been a quirky publicity stunt into something much bigger - a reminder Mexico remains the undispute

Iran’s pistachio industry is quietly demonstrating something the global food system rarely talks about openly anymore: trade routes bend long before they break. While conflict, sanctions, shipping disruption and regional instability continue to pressure Iran’s export economy, pistachio exporters like DARRA Pistachios are still moving product into Europe via Türkiye’s Mersin corridor, relabeling documentation and rerouting logistics to keep supply chains alive. That may sound