Ai meets pet care as plant- and insect-based dog foods become precision-personalised. With household awareness of sustainability on the rise, Ai-powered pet food may be the sleeper category that drives consumer crossover into clean proteins, one bowl at a time.

Global market size for alt. plant-based meat is expected to cross USD $35B by 2034, with growth driven by ingredient optimisation, regional regulation shifts, and institutional buy-in. Retail slowdown masks deeper structural adaptation and new B2B opportunity layers. (Source Here)

Miso is no longer just soup stock, it’s become the poster child for the global umami wave. From UK supermarkets to Michelin kitchens, miso is crossing categories and palates. The Bonnie Chung Miso Tasty x Jamie Oliver story illustrates how mainstream adoption can be driven by product excellence and simple, relatable applications.

Lidl UK and its near-700% (694%) increase in plant-based sales marks a consumer reset from niche veganism to mainstream pantry choice. The trend is shifting from meat analogue hype to everyday affordability, powered by tofu, pulses, and low-priced branded staples. Lidl’s playbook, price accessibility plus nutritional credibility, creates a blueprint for other UK retailers facing scrutiny over health and sustainability targets.

Redefine Meat experienced a sharp rise on UK's Ocado, August food searches, reflecting the fusion of seasonal BBQ culture with next-gen plant-based parity. Consumer curiosity plus rising cost-of-living pressures are pushing alt-meat into prime summer behaviour patterns.

South Australia has become the first jurisdiction globally to outlaw the iconic plastic soy sauce fish, citing their recycling impossibility and outsized environmental impact. The ban fits within a broader push to eliminate single-use plastics and signals a new front in food packaging reform. Industry must change rapidly toward refill stations, compostable seaweed-based solutions, or redesigned sachets.

Consumers are being whiplashed between TikTok wellness influencers warning against “toxic seed oils” and the long arc of evidence-based nutrition. This study gives households clear, practical swaps - a drizzle of plant-oil like olive, sunflower or soy oil, instead of a pat of butter. Accessible, affordable, and life-saving, but thats if messaging cuts through the noise.

Little Lato, the Auckland, NZ -based boutique gelato maker, has claimed the Tetra Pak Dairy-Free Champion for the second consecutive year of the NZ Icecream Awards, with its Mango Lassi Dairy-Free Gelato. As well it picked up the New Zealand Ice Cream Association Sorbet Champion with its Little 'Lato, Chocolate Orange Sorbet.

The Marks and Sparks Pantheon isn’t just a store refresh, it’s a blueprint for where others can go. Retailers worldwide are re-engineering their delivery of food into curated, quick, high-quality experiences. The new standard combines indulgence with speed, healthfulness with shareability.

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

Billie Eilish has amplified the Dubai Chocolate trend to a new cultural altitude. What began as a local innovation by Fix Dessert Chocolatier in 2021, then exploded via TikTok influencers in 2023–24, is now stamped with mainstream celebrity approval. With her 73.5M TikTok audience, Eilish ensures the “make-at-home” phase of this dessert will go global faster than any FMCG rollout could manage.