Andrew Watene – A Maori perspective on Alternative Proteins, Agriculture and Innovation. As an associate director within performance consulting for KPMG he recently returned to New Zealand to join KPMG with over two decades experience in agribusiness and international markets having worked across the world while based in Singapore, Ireland and New Zealand. Andrew is of Tūhoe descent and specialises …

Vegan, kaimanga, kapa kaiota, whekana – whatever you call it, a movement towards a harm free, plant-based lifestyle is being championed by Māori looking to protect Papatūānuku.  Across Aotearoa, people are ditching dairy and moving away from meat in an effort to live healthier and more sustainable lives. Plant-based diets are becoming more popular, and although vegetarianism and veganism are …

An innovative startup company from Finland has piloted a new alternative protein product made out of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. This meat alternative has the potential to address the environmental evils of both the agriculture industry and climate change. The startup is confident it will be able to get the product on grocery store shelves by 2021. The product, …

TREND REPORT 2019: United Fresh (www.unitedfresh.co.nz) has over 27 years’ experience supporting and promoting the New Zealand fresh produce industry, working with the entire value chain, from seed producer and grower to consumer, providing leadership on pan produce issues. This is their inaugural Trend Report for New Zealand. Whether you’re growing it, selling it or just eating it, fresh produce …

On Tyson’s first-quarter earnings call, Tyson CEO Noel White announced that Tyson will be launching its own animal-free protein products before the end of the year. Yes, the largest meat producer in the United States—and second largest in the world—is developing “great tasting protein alternatives that are more accessible for everyone.” Tyson will announce more details in the coming weeks. …

If you think there are a lot of products in the average grocery story, think again. It’s an illusion. We may have in the back of our minds that all the detergents, dish liquids, cleaners, shampoos come from just a handful of multi-national manufacturers. “75 percent of our world’s food comes from just 12 plants and five animal species.” But …

Would you be willing to give up your normal weekly bin collection? A growing number of Australian councils believe this could be the way of the future to save money, reduce the piles of garbage rotting in landfill and cut back greenhouse emissions. At least three regional and outer suburban councils are picking up rubbish bins from the kerbside once …

Food waste is a bigger cause of climate change than plastics, according to Zero Waste Scotland. The government-funded body has urged people to cut down the amount of unwanted food they put in the bin. When food waste ends up in landfill it rots, producing methane gas, one of the most damaging greenhouse gases driving climate change. Research by Zero …

In 2018 Daniel founded Dirt Road Comms to help inspire transformation of the rural New Zealand story in the digital age. The agency is a fusion of his consumer brand-building professional background and rural Northland experience. He focusses on the role of marketing and narrative in the food system, regularly commenting on how issues like the rising vegan movement or …

Chef Brad Farmerie of New York City restaurant Saxon and Parole says the must-order at his eatery is a dish that features something called “ahimi,” a vegan tomato product that looks and tastes like raw tuna. The taste is so on-point, he said, even meat eaters order it. “When we serve these upstairs a lot of people don’t know the …

For many of us, eating a meal containing meat is a normal part of daily life. But if we dig deeper, some sobering issues emerge. Every year, 66 billion terrestrial animals are slaughtered for food. Predictions are that meat consumption will rise, with increasing demand for meat from China and other Asian countries as their standards of living increase. The …

France became the first country to pass a national regulation specifically against food waste in 2016. That effort earned a lot of attention—resulting in a top ranking in the 2017 Food Sustainability Index—and prompted conversation in the United States: can we, or should we, implement a similar policy here?  Up to 40 percent of food production in the U.S. is wasted and …

Thomas King – Re-imagining meat: Australia and New Zealand’s next food frontier. Sausages made from plants, chicken grown from cells – alternatives to conventional meat are rising rapidly. The opportunity to meet global protein demands and address the industry’s ecological and public health impacts saw $13B poured into U.S. plant- and cell-based food companies in 2017/18 alone. However, it is …

Meeting the protein alternative needs of customers, Suzy Spoon’s Vegetarian Butcher manufactures a range of plant based products in Sydney for the Australian consumer. Suzy is driven by the needs of her customers for high quality, high protein meat alternatives that tick a variety of boxes. Her customers demand clean label products that are superior in flavour, with familiar textures …

In this week’s business podcast, we look at New Zealand’s biggest salmon farmer, who has an audacious project to make aquaculture bigger than dairy. Think huge underwater salmon paddocks under the Cook Strait, and an industry with an environmental impact up to 30 times smaller than that from cows. Australian born Grant Rosewarne grew up on a mixed land farm. His parents …

Copper Branch says it will hit the 50-store mark in April with 15 new restaurant openings in North America – with a further 150 to open by 2020 The world’s biggest vegan fast food chain is set to hit the 50-store mark next month – keeping it on track to have over 200 locations open by 2020. Canadian chain Copper Branch …

The team at cell-based meat company Wild Type just made an extremely compelling business case for cell-based meat that has nothing to do with the environmental, societal, animal welfare, or public health benefits.Just as it’s crucial to lead with flavor when bringing better food choices to consumers, it’s important to be able to lead with profit with investors and food …

We can. We just need to fully legalise hemp. Here’s the thing, hemp is a sustainable green gold that can feed us, clothe us, shelter us, heal us and more. Wild caught salmon is not as good, in fact… Hemp massively outperforms wild salmon as a food for health. It’s richer in essential fatty acids, aminos, minerals, protein and more. …

Win-win outcomes for people + planet: How the red meat sector is transforming to meet market needs. Transparency, safety, high quality nutrition, sustainable farming systems and ethical supply chains. The global market is shifting and premium consumers are increasingly demanding more from the companies they buy from. At the same time, New Zealanders’ expectations are not so different and there …

Regenerative agriculture is having a moment. For long-time regen ag practitioners and proponents, this is probably jarring. But having written about regenerative agriculture for five years now, I’ve never seen such engagement or our stories about this ultra-sustainable method of farming perform so well. Readers aren’t only engaging with the subject matter — the comments boards on these two stories …