Kiwi founded ,but now Portugal based, NXW’s Marine Whey Golden 35 is pitched as the “next whey” that's functionally similar to dairy whey, but produced from aquatic microorganisms. It’s a step into the fermentative protein arms race, offering technologists a new building block with promises of clean label and functional versatility.

The Australian plant-protein sector is moving steadily, not spectacularly. With projected growth to USD 599.8 million by 2033, the category is consolidating around better products and more realistic consumer expectations.

Israeli based Brevel and it's state-of the-art, illuminated fermentation platform is pushing microalgae beyond supplements and into everyday food formats like pasta and crackers. By producing high-value biomass at industrial scale, they’re enabling real-world applications today while building credibility for microalgae protein as a mainstream ingredient tomorrow.

K-Food - Korean food company, CJ CheilJedang Bibago brand has shifted gears in Oceania from imported dumplings to locally made staples. With 3,300+ Aussie store placements, 60% YoY growth in mandu (dumplings), and new frozen lines, K-food is now playing in the mainstream grocery game.

Pasture grown crops like Barley, Rye Grass and Alfalfa are converging as unlikely pillars of the next dairy-alt wave. One provides creaminess and fibre, the others deliver a complete amino acid profile. Together, they could reshape how New Zealand leverages land, science, and food tech to remain relevant in a market demanding both functionality and flavour.

Rotorua’s planned biofactory is a structural signal that forestry no longer stops at the sawmill. This model treats wood as a feedstock for fuels, chemicals, and next-gen materials, with claims of unlocking a $50 billion national economic gain.

Waterdrop debuts into Woolworths’ , Australias, 900+ stores cementing functional hydration as a core category in the Aussie beverage market. Its sugar-free microcubes with fruit and plant extracts align with shifting consumer behaviour away from sugary and alcoholic drinks, creating a fresh battleground in the health aisle.

New Zealand's Brain Health company, Arepa has shifted its functional focus from chilled liquid formats to shelf-stable brain x gut powder, unlocking scalability, global freight viability, and crossover into wellness aisles. With gut-brain connection now firmly in mainstream conversation, this move allows for dual-market capture with mental performance + digestive health.

Cornell’s research reframes apple waste pomace from waste to ingredient. The ability to integrate up to 20% in meatballs without consumer pushback positions it as a functional additive for mainstream food manufacturing. In ANZ, where apple orchards and cider producers battle disposal costs, this signals a circular economy advance, linking primary production with processed food innovation.

Japan’s Miyazaki " Egg of the Sun" mangoes demonstrate how controlled cultivation, cultural gifting norms, and luxury positioning can elevate a fruit to a multi-thousand-dollar price tag. The Japanese premium fruit industry has turned scarcity and aesthetic perfection into a form of edible prestige which raises questions for Australia and New Zealand about whether similar pathways exist for mangoes, cherries, or even kiwifruit in luxury gifting channels.

Asian brands are driving a clear function + indulgence trend, using ice cream and coffee as stealth vehicles for biotech, novel proteins, and superfoods. From algae and bean-free coffee to precision-fermented bioactives, these food collabs give ingredient suppliers a consumer-facing story and retailers a new hook. Singapore’s regulatory ecosystem, Japan’s legacy food giants, and Malaysia’s café culture are positioning Asia as the test kitchen of functional indulgence.

With canning demand collapsing, New Zealand peaches risk becoming stranded assets. But by diverting even a slice of the crop into dried slices and powders, growers can flip waste into premium formats. Typical yields run ~129 kg soft-dried and ~113 kg powder per tonne of fresh fruit, commanding global prices of USD 9–22/kg and USD 10–30/kg respectively. Under a cooperative brand like concept OroGold Farms,

Redefine Meat’s deployment into Catterick Garrison, the UK's largest European military facility, marks a new phase as institutional catering shifts from pilot projects to mainstream procurement. Military kitchens, healthcare providers, and campus caterers now weigh environmental impact alongside calories and cost. The battlefield for alternative proteins isn’t the retail fridge, it’s the institutional contract.

Natural Raw C Coconut Water links up with Pistachio Papi and defies typical FMCG constraints which included factory rejection, cost hurdles, and flavour scepticism. The result, a coconut water fused with pistachio and white chocolate, illustrates how collaborations can unlock unexpected NPD pathways. By leveraging 100% natural inputs and sustained iteration, the brand has turned a “dead in the water” concept into a consumer-ready product with cultural stickiness.

Singapore food outlet closures are accelerating (≈307/month in 2025), driven by rent, manpower levies and food inflation. Consumer spend is shifting to at-home eating and convenience channels. RTE/RTH baskets expand (supermarkets, RedMart, 7-Eleven), while plant-based becomes a core building block: Impossible/Quorn in mainstream freezers; Growthwell’s HAPPIEE! pushes localised seafood/meat analogues; private-label ready meals scale. Net effect: fewer mid-tier dine-ins, more h

New Zealand’s 26 Seasons has struck a commercial deal with Saudi Arabia’s Qassim Strawberry & Fruit Cooperative Society, pairing Kiwi indoor vertical farming with Saudi demand for premium fruit under Vision 2030. The partnership, signed in Riyadh alongside four others, is projected to deliver more than NZ$100m in value, helping New Zealand push toward its 10-year goal of doubling exports.

UK based, Whitworths’ walnut-based mince signals a shift in the meat-free category: less tech-driven mimicry, more wholefood honesty. With three ingredients and global flavour spins, it aims to appeal to flexitarians who value both texture and transparency. Launching through Ocado and Gousto, it could pressure rivals to rethink over-processed formulas.

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

The Pure Food Co’s French arm shows how a Kiwi startup from New Zealand is reshaping healthcare nutrition with culinary innovation. Partnering with emeis and Sysco France, the company is embedding texture-modified meals directly into geriatric and psychogeriatric care settings. By producing in France rather than shipping from New Zealand, The Pure Food Co ensures better cultural fit, improved supply chain efficiency, and stronger credibility with institutional buyers across t

Sydney Markets’ 50th anniversary clearly illustrates the relevance of centralised produce markets in modern metropolitan food systems. Beyond nostalgia, this milestone reflects how wholesale hubs continue to anchor urban food security, linking growers to urban populations at volumes no fragmented distribution can match.