Australia’s Made & Grown white paper reframes biotechnology as a cornerstone of national resilience. It positions food biomanufacturing not as an economic bonus but as strategic infrastructure, vital for defending against climate volatility, disrupted imports, and biosecurity threats. The report urges the federal government to embed food security in defence planning, fund shared scale-up hubs, and fast-track regulatory reform for new proteins and precision-fermented ingredien

A 75–100 g daily uplift in fruit and veggies intake across Australia and New Zealand could reshape both public health and the food economy. It equates to roughly 1.2 million tonnes of extra produce flowing through ANZ supply chains and a measurable reduction in healthcare costs. The policy and industry alignment exists, but what’s needed now is a consumer pull signal powered by better products, stronger marketing, and easier access.

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.

New Zealand's Fonterra's latest moves signal a strategic bifurcation to retain the core milk-and-ingredients cash engine rooted in the Kiwi heartland, while investing in large-scale precision fermentation capacity via its tie-up in Abu Dhabi with Vivici/The Every Co. The NZ sale of brands to the French Lactalis frees up capital and simplifies the co-op’s structure, while the UAE project gives access to a 4 million-litre capacity fermentation facility designed for high-standar

This week marks the first time a cultured-meat product from Australian based, Vow’s Forged line, crafted from cultured Japanese quail cells - moving out of elite restaurants and into a direct-to-consumer online drop in Australia. The smoked cultivated quail spread launch supports cultivated meat’s transition from novelty menu item to limited-edition retail product, signalling the category’s maturation beyond foodservice into direct access.

PARIMA’s approval by the Singapore Food Agency for its cultivated chicken marks the first-ever European clearance for a cultivated meat product and a defining shift for global regulatory convergence. The company, born from the merger of Gourmey and Vital Meat, worked collaboratively with SFA to validate the safety and transparency of its production model. The result: a proof-of-concept that cultivated meat can be both industrially viable and regulator-ready.

The Ferrero Chilean expansion (backed by its agricultural subsidiary Agrichile) strengthens year-round hazelnut flow into its confectionery plants and secures traceable, high-oleic nuts certified to Ferrero’s “Horizon” sustainability standards. Chile’s Mediterranean-style climate mirrors parts of Victoria, Australia and Canterbury, New Zealand, making this development a potential template for ANZ diversification into premium nut crops.

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.

Kiwi based, Leaft Foods extends its proprietary green-leaf extraction technology into the pet nutrition category with Alfalfa Protein Concentrate (APC), a frozen-block ingredient designed for meat-based formulations. Through Meateor’s global network, Leaft is positioning APC as the go-to sustainable protein for premium pet brands in the U.S. and Europe.

A design collaboration between Heliograf and Vert Design Studio has birthed Holy Carp! , the world’s first fully home-compostable plant-pulp soy sauce fish. Made from renewable natural fibres, the dropper biodegrades in weeks and eliminates the need for petroleum-based plastics in takeaway sushi packaging.

A new “functional-natural” wellness boom is gaining momentum under the radar of the alt-protein noise. Instead of mimicking meat, these brands are harnessing fermentation, plant prebiotics, and caffeine-free stimulation to feed both body and brain. The mood-regulating and gut-nourishing niches are rapidly converging, led by small-scale producers leveraging native and regenerative agriculture.

A naturally derived MAO-B inhibitor discovered in New Zealand blackcurrants, trademarked as Neuroberry, is rewriting the script on brain nutrition. The partnership between Ārepa, Plant & Food Research, and Callaghan Innovation (now under the BioEconomy Science Institute umbrella) has delivered a patentable compound with proven human efficacy, bridging the gap between neuroscience and functional food.

Australian precision-fermentation fat maker Nourish Ingredients establishes a global hub in Leiden, Netherlands, signalling European commercialisation of designer lipids.

WOA - Wide Open Agriculture - has crossed the core technical threshold for lupin milk by creating a stable foam, neutral taste, creamy texture, all built on a proprietary isolate and protected by a PCT filing. The go-to-market rides B2B distribution into on-trend tea/coffee beverages in China, where scale and speed favour ingredient suppliers with IP.

New Zealand’s berry sector just levelled up. The Fresh Berry Company, backed by Driscoll’s, is introducing the Eterna, the world’s largest blueberry variety, into local production. The fruit, weighing up to 20.4 grams, will be grown under plastic tunnel houses in Kerikeri, Waikato, and soon Nelson, signalling a clear shift toward premiumisation and export-ready novelty crops.

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.

Chile’s Global AG and Global Talsa Fresh have made social commerce the centrepiece of their 2025–26 Chinese cherry launch, using TikTok as a direct-to-consumer outlet for their new AG2 variety in China. The model fuses genetic innovation with influencer-led price modulation, the more buzz, the higher the yield, both online and off, turning cherries into clicks.

UK's Squeaky Bean expands into the ready-meal category with the launch of its first-ever plant-based pies at Tesco UK, merging comfort, convenience, and functional gut-health appeal.

Brazilian scientists are code-cracking fish by establishing a volatile-compound map for plant-based fish analogues, showing which aromas drive acceptance and which repel consumers. The study bridges the taste-experience gap that’s kept seafood analogues niche.