All PFN ARTICLES

The food-innovation world is buzzing with hybrid meat products, blends of animal and plant proteins being touted as the “bridge” for flexitarian consumers. But when US based, The Mushroom Meat Co. co‐founder & CEO Kesha Stickland writes “ALL MUSHROOM, NO BEEF – WHY WE DON’T BLEND,” she makes a strong case for going full fungi. Her startup is committed to 80 % mushrooms + ~20 % whole plants (hempseed, seaweed, beets), consciously not blending in animal meat or hybridising wit

The arrival of a bioprinted meat product into the spotlight of a major industry awards show signals a turning point, as Redefine Meat’s 3-D-printed Flank Steak takes out the Plant-Based Meat Alternatives champion title in the UK's The Grocer’s New Product & Packaging Awards 2025. But it isn't just a trophy, it's recognition from the heart of the UK food trade.

It’s the kind of milestone that makes both baristas and biotechs blink: The New Milk is officially here, the world’s first dairy milk made entirely without cows. Co-created by Israeli food-tech pioneer Remilk and heritage brand Gad Dairies, this precision-fermented milk delivers the taste, texture, and nutrition of real dairy, just without the livestock. For consumers, it’s a genuine milk experience that’s lactose-free, cholesterol-free, and 75 percent lower in sugar; for in

It turns out the ancient Greeks had the right idea all along, energy on demand, no branding required. A mix of just honey and sesame seeds fuelled warriors, traders, and philosophers long before “protein bars” were a thing. Two ingredients. Infinite logic tied to sesame seeds known 'calmative qualities'. The Greek Pasteli !!

NXW, born in New Zealand in 2020 and now headquartered in Portugal, has achieved a category milestone with its Marine Whey™ ingredient. Together with SIG Group, they have completed their first commercial run of an affordable functional‐nutrition product for the MEA region: a UHT‐treated “Peach Power” marine whey yoghurt filled via SIG’s aseptic packaging solutions and tailored for local taste profiles.

A nacho pie has just taken out New Zealand’s top vegan baking honour and honestly, could anything scream 2025 more? Richoux Patisserie’s Supreme-winning “Nacho Pie” blended Mexican spice, crunch, and creamy plant-based comfort into a mash-up that feels perfectly tuned to the times: bold, global, and comfort-driven. Judges called it “flavour-packed” and “innovative”, which is code for this one actually made us smile.

UK-based One Planet Pizza just did what many ANZ plant-based brands haven’t yet dared: they launched into Southeast Asia, starting with 60 Tops stores in Thailand. The country’s plant-based food market is already worth over £1 billion, and with more than 75 percent of the population lactose intolerant, this move feels almost surgically smart.

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.

New Zealand’s only commercial tea plantation based in the Waikato, Zealong Tea Estate, has steeped itself into global recognition, literally, after being listed among the world’s best tea houses in “150 Tea Houses You Need to Visit Before You Die” by Lannoo Publishing.

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.

Three startups have been crowned winners of the inaugural Bezos Centre for Sustainable Protein @ NUS × Enterprise Singapore “Sustainable Protein Startup Competition” at the Asia‑Pacific Agri‑Food Innovation Summit 2025 in Singapore. Each of the winners, cultivated meat startup, Magic Valley from Melbourne , Fermeate a photomolecular fermentation startup based in California and Terra Bioindustries from Toronto, Canada and involved in up-cycling agro-industrial by-products, wil

Singapore has formally shifted to a hybrid food resilience model, blending local production with trusted imports as it pushes back its “30 by 30” target to 2035. The new plan sets 20 percent local supply for fibre (leafy greens, mushrooms, beansprouts) and 30 percent for protein (seafood, eggs), down from the once-ambitious goal to produce 30 percent of all nutritional needs by 2030. The revision reflects hard realities: limited agricultural land, high energy and labour costs