All PFN ARTICLES

The sustainability story has changed and the food industry may be looking for it in the wrong place. A major new Bain & Company study finds global concern about environmental sustainability has actually risen to 85% of consumers, from 79% last year. But something more significant is happening beneath that headline: consumers increasingly aren't describing the choices they make as “sustainable”. They are choosing products because they appear healthier, cleaner, more natural, m

Sri Lanka’s processed-food exports are emerging as one of the strongest areas of the country’s merchandise trade, providing evidence manufacturers are capturing more value from local agricultural ingredients rather than relying entirely on commodity exports. Previously reported by PFN.

A new protein-scoring system has looked beyond protein grams to assess what foods deliver for people, household budgets and the planet. The result puts one familiar plant food firmly on top. Tofu has been ranked the best all-round protein source in a new protein test combining nutrition, affordability, availability and environmental impact.

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.

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

The achacha, known locally as achachairú or "honey kiss", has been cultivated for generations in Bolivia. Yet it was Australian growers who established the world's first large-scale commercial plantation in North Queensland in 2003, investing years of research into propagation, irrigation, pruning and post-harvest handling before the first commercial harvests appeared in 2009.

The NanoBrew project is investigating how beer waste - brewers' spent grain- can be converted into nanocellulose, an ultra-light, high-strength biomaterial increasingly used in medical dressings, sustainable packaging, cosmetics, filtration systems and advanced composites. The project will represent New Zealand at this year's international iGEM synthetic biology competition in Paris.

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.

New Zealand's journey towards producing its own peanuts has taken another step forward, with scientists preparing to evaluate a new cultivar specifically selected for Northland's climate. Researchers from the Bioeconomy Science Institute say several years of commercial-scale trials undertaken alongside Pic's Peanut Butter, Northland Inc and industry partners have produced encouraging results. Crops experienced very low pest and disease pressure, required no insecticides or fu

Global packaging company, Tetra Pak has moved deeper into the NextGen Food economy with the launch of its first industrial bioreactor, signalling a major shift for a company best known globally for food cartons and processing systems.