All PFN ARTICLES

New Zealand avocado growers are still counting the cost of an extraordinary winter freeze that struck some of the country's principal growing regions, raising the prospect of reduced domestic avocado availability and another reminder of just how exposed fresh-food production can be to a few hours of extreme weather.

A mushroom growing unexpectedly from a forgotten apple might normally end up in the compost. In China, it ended up being crossed with a fungus that had traveled into space and developed into a potential new food variety.

Czech cultivated meat developer Benemeat is signalling a different strategy. Rather than treating the traditional meat sector as the competition, the company has publicly invited representatives from across the conventional meat industry into direct dialogue, arguing that prejudice and misinformation will not solve the protein challenges facing future food systems. While details of the meeting focus on knowledge sharing and transparency, the broader message is significant: th

For years New Zealand consumers have been told the answer to high supermarket prices lay in attracting another international chain. But six months after opening in Christchurch, independent retailer Kai Co may be demonstrating another pathway through the duopoly debate.

France's vegetable growers are warning that 2026 is becoming an annus horribilis after three major heatwaves in as many weeks pushed temperatures beyond 40°C across much of the country. Open-field crops including lettuce, carrots, onions, leeks, garlic, shallots and microgreens have suffered losses measured in thousands of tonnes, while some sectors now fear losing up to half of their annual production. Tomato crops have also stalled, with growers reporting that fruit develop

Growing international attention surrounding ready-portioned cheesecake is less about cheesecake itself and more about a broader shift taking place across the global food industry. Rather than producing ever larger products, manufacturers are increasingly embracing a strategy best described as "downsizing to upscale" - creating smaller, premium products delivering greater value through quality, flavour, sustainability and experience.

Poland’s efforts to extend geothermal energy beyond heating and recreation into geothermal food production offer another signal New Zealand should be watching closely. Polish researchers are examining geothermal heat for protected cropping, aquaculture, agricultural drying and food processing. Existing applications remain limited, but include geothermal-supported fish farming, vegetable cultivation and some food-processing activity.

A new global study reveals arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi – microscopic fungi living in the soil – form an underground network stretching an estimated 110 quadrillion kilometres across the planet. Rather than one giant organism, it functions more like the internet itself with billions of interconnected local networks linking plant roots and exchanging nutrients, water and carbon.

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.

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

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

Greenland is back in the headlines, not for geopolitics or melting ice, but for something far more practical: food. In the Arctic town of Sisimiut, population roughly 6,000, a local hydroponic farm is proving lettuce, not logistics, might be the real sovereignty issue. As imported produce arrives soggy, bruised, and eye-wateringly expensive, locally grown crunchy greens are quietly winning shelf space.