Italy has its UNESCO cuisine moment, but Japan just slid in with something arguably more disruptive in the form of a dessert made from air. Ajinomoto’s conscious brand Atlr.72 has officially launched Mochelie, a mochi-filled almond tart powered by Solein, the world’s first commercial “protein from air.” It's just hit Singapore shelves in three flavours, and yes, it’s still a pastry, with a carbon footprint reading more like a rounding error.

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.

The global herbal tea market is quietly steeping into one of the world’s biggest “natural wellness” plays — hitting US$2.49 billion in 2022 and steaming toward US$4.33 billion by 2032. A neat 5.6% annual growth tells you everything: people are ditching artificial everything in favour of old-world, plant-based brews that feel cleaner, calmer, and more in tune with the body than the hyper-caffeinated drinks industry wants to admit.