All PFN ARTICLES

The global food industry is at a reckoning point, caught between the promise of high-tech solutions and a growing hunger for something far more fundamental: real food. For years, alternative protein innovation has been charging forward. But the more advanced the science gets, the more consumers are left wondering: where did the food go? Now the third wave of food is emerging!

New Zealand’s vegan cheese scene just delivered a full-bodied, pepper-crusted slap to the dairy world with Bûche au Poivre from High Culture Cheese crowned Supreme Winner at the 2025 Vegan Society Vegan Cheese Awards.

And fizzing with intent is Kombucha Bros, the local fermentation outfit quietly embedded in the University of Auckland’s flagship project on bio-fermented functional foods. While headlines fixate on hybrid meats and algae proteins, the real story might lie in the cellulose-rich scaffolds, mushroom mycelium, and botanical extractions now being turned into snacks, sips, and supplements, with Kombucha Bros tapped as a key industry collaborator bringing frontline fermentation in

In a move rewriting the rules of haute cuisine, French Chef, Alain Passard’s legendary three-Michelin-star restaurant, Arpège, has dropped nearly all animal products from its menu. Out go the foie gras, lobster, and langoustines. In their place? Tomatoes, cabbages, carrots, and a philosophy that’s anything but humble.

It's been a busy week in the US. While Florida bans the future and Alabama clutches its steak knives, the United States just became ground zero for one of the most delicious science experiments in human history. Cultivated meat companies are done waiting. They’ve broken out of the lab and into the lunch rush.

Austrian alt-protein provocateurs Revo Foods have dropped their latest fungi-based product, a Minced Fungi Protein made with just four ingredients and not a single shred of soy in sight. It’s lean, clean, and built for the kind of post-animal eater who still wants gains without the conscience.

Here’s a bold thought for a Government seemingly allergic to ambition - if Queensland can back a food and manufacturing hub on the Sunshine Coast, why can’t New Zealand do the same at Ruakura - Waikato's inland port facility?

If you thought France was stuck in a butter-and-brioche time warp, think again. A quiet culinary insurgency is underway in the chilled section of supermarkets like E.Leclerc and it’s got nothing to do with duck confit. Instead, what’s catching eyes (and carts) is a rainbow parade of plant-based meals, soups, and meat alternatives, all scored, stacked, and screaming freshness with a surprisingly French flair.

The neon glows at the new Tesla diner, the roller-skates glide, and the Cybertruck boxes stack neatly beside burgers and fries. But when the dust settles around Tesla’s much-hyped “retro-futuristic” Diner & Drive-In in Los Angeles, there’s one awkward question buzzing louder than the Superchargers outside: where exactly is the sustainability?

Texture-modified food isn’t just for the elderly in care homes. And finally, someone’s doing something about it. After years of fielding desperate messages from families trying to feed loved ones post-surgery, post-chemo, or post-accident, New Zealand-based startup The Pure Food Co has announced a long-awaited move - home delivery.

A new oat oil extraction breakthrough from South Australia could supercharge the plant-based sector, unlocking new possibilities for everything from buttery spreads to clean-label beauty products and it all starts with a humble grain we thought we already knew and plant-based lipids.

The World Bank, WWF, and the Gordon & Betty Moore Foundation just dropped a sprawling new report outlining how sustainable aquaculture could feed the planet, fix the climate, and create 22 million new jobs by 2050. It’s a big fish story with one clear headline: