Investor-driven assessment says global FMCG and retail heavyweights are under-invested and under-prepared on plant-based protein, constraining growth and resilience. Investor pressure from FAIRR (The Farm Animal Investment Risk and Return Initiative) is rising for clear sales targets, portfolio rebalancing, and board-level nutrition competence. FAIRR manages more than $90 Trillion in investor network funds with more than 70 investors valued at $11.5T involved in this study.

China’s forthcoming 15th Five-Year Plan (2026–2030) cements bio-manufacturing as part of its “advanced industrial base”, blending foodtech with national security and demographic resilience. New language connects nutrition and biotech, while the Pinggu Action Plan (2025–27) anchors the country’s first state-endorsed alternative-protein cluster. These moves transform cultivated, fermented, and functional proteins from experimental to strategic.

Innova Market Insights has named digestive health, protein, and mental wellness as the leading food predictions for 2026, marking a global consumer shift toward holistic functionality and authentic nutrition.

A New Zealand-born nutrient extraction platform is modernising the world’s US$60 billion Traditional Chinese Medicine industry by replacing ancient decoction methods with low-temperature, low-pressure precision extraction.

The rise of plant–plant hybrids marks a quiet but decisive shift in alternative proteins. As meat–mushroom blends fade under regulatory and identity fatigue, companies like Canada's, Maia Farms are creating a new middle ground, hybrids that combine two complementary plant systems to overcome flavour fatigue and texture failure. By merging oyster mushroom mycelium with Canadian yellow pea, The Shred demonstrates fungi can be an ingredient architecture, not just an additive.

Fable Meat Co's shiitake-infused beef through the Central Market in Texas, marks the commercial breakout of hybrid meat - a pragmatic middle ground where plant and animal proteins collaborate rather than compete. The brand’s success in Texas demonstrates that flexitarianism isn’t a niche; it’s mainstreaming through flavour, not ideology.

The Sydney, Australia Alt.Protein 25 Conference trends emergence confirmed a generational shift as the industry is quietly re-branding itself around NextGen Food, pragmatic, tech-driven, and consumer-anchored. Cultivated and precision fats are reframed as both flavour and function tools with algae and fermentation innovators chasing cost parity through partnerships; and “trust” replacing “disruption” as the ultimate KPI.

Australia’s shift from agricultural exporter to sovereign bio-manufacturer is accelerating, with the CellAg Australia's Made & Grown white paper positioning food biotechnology as critical infrastructure. Precision fermentation, molecular farming and cell cultivation are reframed as security assets, de-risking climate exposure, import dependence, and supply-chain fragility. The report’s 25 recommendations call for a national “Feeding Australia” bio-strategy, FSANZ reform, and

Dietary Next-Gen Proteins are here where consumers are swapping rigid protein targets for diversity-first eating that blends plant, fungal and algal sources with fibre-rich, heritage-coded formats. MINTEL expects portfolio moves into mung bean, hemp, mycoprotein and microalgae, with APAC know-how seeding Western launches.

Anuga 2025 has just wrapped up and revealed an industry maturing beyond novelty. Plant-based and alternative proteins remain central, but the spotlight has shifted to integration: hybrid systems, fermented and microbial inputs, as well as nutrient-dense whole foods. Clean-label transparency and climate resilience now drive procurement, while personalised nutrition and functional benefits re-shape NPD briefs. The consumer signal is clear: “make it natural, make it traceable,

The UK’s plant-pulse wave signalled a maturing, stabilising plant-based market. Category leaders like BOSH!, THIS™, and BOL are repositioning around nutrition, convenience, and taste credibility. Supermarkets are embracing frozen and chilled SKUs with strong functional benefits, a move from “alternative meats” toward whole-food, vegetable-first innovation. These signals show an industry re-setting for longevity using simpler ingredients, cleaner labels, and formats that norm

The second Australian Startupbootcamp Cohort round, backed by the Industry Growth Program, is openly promoting food biomanufacturing in Australia. Fourteen companies are in the mix, but those centred on mushrooms, cultivated meat, seaweed, and supplements highlight a government-endorsed recognition of biotech food as a critical frontier. The cohort blends consumer-facing innovation with enabling infrastructure, from cell-media substitutes to indigenous plant nutraceuticals.

The inclusion of FROOM in Delidoor’s 12,000 meals-a-week, national frozen meal service marks a subtle yet powerful signal: plant proteins are entering the mass-convenience space. This isn’t niche vegan retail, it’s a trusted family meal service building credibility and volume. By embedding plant protein into normal purchasing behaviour, Fascin8foods demonstrates how ingredient brands can scale by partnering with established foodservice operators rather than chasing supermarke

Waitrose has rolled out its 2025 Christmas range and doubled down on vegan centrepieces rivalling the turkey. The No.1 Mushroom, Malbec & Port Wellington layers chestnut, portobello and pulled shiitake mushrooms in a wine-rich sauce takes pride of place. So too their Cauliflower Cheese Galette Crown arrives looking very Christmasy, all rustic and hand-crimped from a Cornish bakery with 125 years of history. These are not token meat-free afterthoughts, they’re positioned as th

Fable Food Co.’s pulled shiitake is no longer a niche flexitarian choice, it’s rapidly becoming a category staple in Australia’s biggest Mexican food chains. With Guzman y Gomez and now Zambrero on board, Fable is redefining what “protein” means in the nation’s burritos and tacos. The rollout across nearly 500 restaurants signals both consumer acceptance and a brand-building masterstroke for Fable, which continues to resist the “mock meat” label by leaning on flavour, texture