All PFN ARTICLES

For years, the coconut aisle has traded on a halo of tropical purity, hydration, wellness, plant-based goodness. But behind some Thai coconut products sits a practice feeling wildly out of step with 2026 ethics and that is forced monkey labour. According to Foodfacts, pig-tailed macaques are still being captured, chained, and trained to harvest coconuts in parts of Thailand, despite repeated assurances the practice has ended - monkey picked coconuts.

Italy's cuisine has just been received an accolade even the most passionate nonna might blush over by convincing UNESCO its entire cuisine, the whole sprawling, tomato-splashed, pasta-shaped universe, deserves protection as an intangible cultural treasure. Forget individual dishes. The whole national food identity just got canonised.

Victoria, Australia has just given plant-based protein a serious upgrade, opening a $12 million Plant Protein Hub and glasshouse at Agriculture Victoria’s Horsham SmartFarm. This isn’t a token ribbon-cut, it’s a fully kitted-out engine-room with shared labs, a test kitchen, analytical gear and grower access, built to turn lentils, chickpeas and field peas into the next wave of high-protein products.

Strap in: the European Space Agency (ESA) has just signed a deal with Finnish startup Solar Foods to test a protein powder made from microbes, air, electricity and urea (yes, that urea, found in urine) aboard the International Space Station; giving a whole new meaning to pee protein!!

America’s appetite for white mushrooms is going through a full-blown functional food awakening. The market is forecast to surge from US$13.3 billion in 2024 to US$22.34 billion by 2033, a nearly 6% annual increase driven by wellness-minded consumers seeking nutrient-dense, plant-forward foods doing more than fill a plate.

Chocolate giant Barry Callebaut is hedging its bets, keeping cocoa close while diving headfirst into the cocoa-free future. The Swiss heavyweight has entered a long-term partnership with Planet A Foods, the German start-up behind ChoViva, a chocolate alternative made from local crops like sunflower seeds. The deal neatly straddles both camps: traditional cocoa dominance and the growing demand for sustainable, non-cocoa chocolate.

New Zealand’s fruit exports hit $5.68 billion in 2025, a record 42 percent increase on the previous year. Kiwifruit remained the standout performer, driving the total value of fresh and processed horticultural exports to $6.85 billion.

The idea of growing coffee indoors isn’t just a lab-curiosity anymore, it’s going commercial. Meet Big Guns Coffee, a U.S. veteran-and-daughter venture using hydroponics to grow coffee in a warehouse-style setup, controlling light, temperature, humidity and CO₂ to mimic the tropical highlands.

If every Aussie and Kiwi ate just one extra 100 g serve of fruit and veggies a day, the ripple would be enormous. AUSVEG says, an extra handful translates to almost a million tonnes of produce, $3.3 billion in added value to the vegetable supply chain, 13,000 new jobs, and $1.4 billion in healthcare savings by 2030. In New Zealand, similar modelling suggests NZ$838 million in lifetime health savings and 94,000 healthy life years gained from just a modest daily veg boost.

From the molecular-kitchen of Vow comes a bold leap: their gourmet brand Forged is now making cultivated quail spread accessible to consumers. After securing regulatory approval from Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) for cultured Japanese quail cells, the company is dropping a small-batch smoked quail spread you can order online—Sydney launch only.

Ferrero is quietly reshaping the global nut map. The Italian confectionery giant, famous for Nutella and Kinder, has been planting thousands of hectares of hazelnut orchards across Chile’s Maule and Ñuble regions to guarantee supply for its spreads and chocolates. The South American orchards now complement Ferrero’s holdings in Italy, Turkey and the U.S., offering counter-seasonal harvests and greater climate security.

Australian deep-tech player Nourish Ingredients has quietly shifted gears from startup to global operator, establishing a new commercial hub in Leiden, the Netherlands, the same energy-neutral “BioPartner 5” campus housing Europe’s biggest biotech disruptors. Best known for its Tastilux and Creamilux fats, precision-fermented lipids that mimic the sensory and aromatic profiles of animal fats, Nourish is now positioning itself at the centre of the EU food-innovation ecosyste