All PFN ARTICLES

Fonterra, New Zealand’s dairy colossus and global cream-of-the-crop exporter, has just made its most serious move yet into the future of milk, without the cow. Its startup investment Vivici, a precision fermentation outfit co-founded with Dutch dsm-firmenich, has launched into the US market, bringing with it a cow-free version of whey protein looking, functioning, and tasting just like the original - except it’s brewed.

You’d be forgiven for thinking palm oil is in everything, because, well, it pretty much is. From your lip balm to your snack bars, this slick and versatile oil is the invisible engine of modern convenience. But there’s blood in the oil. Every year, tens of thousands of hectares of Indonesian forest are bulldozed for palm plantations. The cost? Around 50 orangutans killed every week, either starved out, pushed out, or hunted as pests.

Did you know Finland’s beef chillers are looking a little… barren? It’s not just a short-term supply glitch. The country’s beef shortage is now expected to drag all the way to 2027, and locals are already switching up their plates.

Meet WunderEggs by Crafty Counter. The name might be playful, but the impact is deadly serious. At a time when egg shortages have sent prices spiraling and shoppers scrambling, these plant-based doppelgängers have strutted into the spotlight like they were born for it. No feathers. No cholesterol. Just creamy, yolky satisfaction built from almonds, cashews, and coconut milk. Not a chicken in sight.

What do you get when a bunch of surf-town mycophiles decide to take on the billion-dollar brain game? You get MYND, a bold, homegrown foray into the turbo-charged world of nootropics, straight out of Raglan, New Zealand.

China’s mushroom industry has exploded 700-fold since 1978 and the next wave could be even bigger for those paying attention. Mushroom industry specialist Zlatko Vidmar from Sylvan Inc. says what started as a modest 60,000 tons a year has now soared to a staggering 42 million tons annually. That’s a $55 billion sector employing over 25 million people, more than 2% of China’s entire population. Mushrooms, it seems, are no longer just a side dish in China. They’re an economic e

Melbourne’s vegan food scene in 2025? It’s not a trend. It’s the table. As more diners ditch the steak and chase the umami high of truffle, tamale, and woodfired cauliflower, a handful of iconic plant food restaurants are shaping the city’s culinary DNA, one daring, dairy-free dish at a time.

On October 7, 2024, the world watched in horror as Israel's Kibbutz Be’eri came under senseless attack. Lives lost. Hostages held. Families shattered. And for the team behind one of Israel’s quiet agricultural marvels - Hinoman’s Mankai - everything they’d built was left in ruins. The greenhouses once housing one of the world’s most efficient crops were torched. Gone in hours.

ALOHA, the plant-based nutrition brand with a cult following, has just dropped a new taro protein bar  not only fueling workouts but feeding a deeper mission: supporting Indigenous youth, regenerative agriculture, and the sacred roots of Hawaiian food culture. And yes, it tastes like mana in a wrapper.

Danone's still very much in the dairy game, but make no mistake its eyes are set firmly on the non-animal prize.

A new wave of seafood is hitting the shores and this one never swam a day in its life. Israeli FoodTech firm SimpliiGood by AlgaeCore Technologies is officially scaling commercial production of its plant-based spirulina smoked salmon made entirely from spirulina, the vibrant green microalgae best known for smoothies, supplements, and now, apparently, seafood.

And here’s a wild thought - EARTH is an anagram of HEART. Coincidence? Maybe. But let’s run with it. Because something is changing, not fast enough for the forests or the fish, but enough to whisper perhaps, just perhaps, we’re learning to eat with our hearts again. This isn’t just wordplay — it's a shift in planetary intimacy.