Future Food Systems

28/05/2026

A Senior Lecturer in the School of Chemical Engineering at UNSW Sydney, Dr Yong Wang’s research focuses on food structure design and structure–function relationships in food systems, particularly how processing and interfacial interactions govern the mechanical, rheological and functional properties of complex food materials.

Recently, team interviewed Yong at UNSW, discussing his research expertise and his two FFS-supported projects: 'Development of alternative texturisers for plant-based meat products' and 'Improving emulsion properties of plant-based milk for barista use'.

You can watch the full video here: https://youtu.be/Km3lNEZYMRI?si=ixHUVHJ_D4rV55gl



UNSW School of Chemical Engineering | Sanitarium Health Food Company AU

27/05/2026

SAVE 25% ON TICKETS. Our For Food's Sake early-bird offer ends this Monday.

A premier platform uniting stakeholders from industry, research and government, For Food’s Sake will be held in Sydney from 1–3 September. Across three days, the event will feature a Summit, Gala Dinner at 6HEAD, Research Showcase, site tours and workshops, alongside a curated exhibition of emerging technologies, projects and partnerships.

Featuring speakers from leading research institutions including UNSW, The The George Institute for Global Health and Western Sydney University, alongside industry organisations including World Farmers'​ Organisation, Bega Group and Sanitarium Health Food Company AU, the 2026 theme “Collaborate for Change”, reflects the growing need for coordinated action across the agrifood sector.

The program will highlight initiatives across research, industry and government, with discussions focused on sustainability, nutrition, energy, food security, and the broader challenges and opportunities shaping Australia’s agrifood system.

To learn more and to register, visit: https://events.humanitix.com/ffs2026/

Offer ends 1 June 2026.



Western Sydney U - Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment | FOODiQ Global

26/05/2026

Congratulations to Dr Onyemaechi (Henry) Obiazikwor for being awarded his doctoral degree from Murdoch University!

Under the lead supervision of Assoc. Prof. Kirsty Bayliss, Henry’s doctoral research addressed biotic stress in tomatoes, particularly root knot nematodes, a major challenge in Western Australian sandy soils as part of the ffs-supported project ‘novel crop microbiome technologies’.

To learn more about Henry’s research, visit: https://www.futurefoodsystems.com.au/people/onyemaechi-henry-obiazikwor/



Murdoch University Eco Growth Melville Park

25/05/2026

Exploring new materials for biological crop protection. It was a pleasure to Lily Peiran Li and Art O’Connor at UNSW yesterday, discussing their collaborative project with Agentic Bio.

Supervised by Assoc. Prof. Pat Spicer, both Lily and Art are PhD candidates and members of the Complex Fluids group, a team that works with industry and academic partners to design smart fluids with unique response and flow behaviour linked directly to product and material performance.

Lily and Art are involved in the FFS-supported project ‘Novel biodegradable additive for enhancing the performance of biological crop protection products’, in collaboration with Agnetic Bio. This research looks to advance the development of Agnetic Bio’s novel, biodegradable adhesion and encapsulation agent, for application to biological products.

Keep an eye on our social media channels for the full project video, coming soon.

21/05/2026

An action-packed day of industry and research engagement. Yesterday, team had the pleasure of attending two events: one focussing on cutting-edge food science and the other, a celebration of the food and beverage sector.

Starting the morning at The Breakfast Club, hosted by our partners at UNSW Chemical Engineering, the event brought together industry and academia to explore the latest discoveries and innovations shaping modern food science. It was great to hear from Research and Commercialisation Director Prof. Cordelia Selomulya and Prof. Johannes le Coutre on the latest cutting-edge science projects at the University. We also heard from an expert panel of industry and research leaders including Nick Hazell (Algenie), Kirsty Germaine (Mauri), Kornelia Kaczmarska (Hort Innovation) and Assoc. Prof. Jian Zhao (UNSW Chemical Engineering), in a discussion facilitated by Prof. Jayashree Arcot covering sustainability, AI, processed foods, education and more.

The second event of the day was the Hive Awards, where it was fantastic to see our friends at OzHarvest Ventures and Second Squeeze recognised as finalists in the ‘Best Beverage Award’ category for their product, Oh! LemonAid. Now in its third year, the Hive Awards, hosted by Food & Drink Business, celebrates excellence across the food and beverage sector.

A truly valuable day of connecting, networking and celebrating innovation across the industry.

Photo credit: Dr Rishi Naik from UNSW School of Chemical Engineering (Image one)

19/05/2026

IT’S BACK. For Food’s Sake returns in 2026, with Sydney set to host the event from 1–3 September.

A premier platform uniting stakeholders from industry, research and government, the 2026 theme “Collaborate for Change”, reflects the growing need for coordinated action across the sector. The program will highlight initiatives across research, industry and government, with discussions focused on , , , , and the broader challenges and opportunities shaping Australia’s agrifood system.

Across three days, the event will feature a Summit, Gala Dinner at 6HEAD, Research Showcase, site tours and workshops, alongside a curated exhibition of emerging technologies, projects and partnerships.

SAVE 25% ON TICKETS: Purchase a Gold or Silver ticket before 1 June 2026, and you’ll receive this special discount.

To learn more and to register, visit: https://events.humanitix.com/ffs2026/



Western Sydney U - Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment | 6HEAD | Roundhouse | FOODiQ Global

18/05/2026

It was great to catch up and interview Assoc. Prof. Jason Scott and PhD candidate Natalie Aaron at UNSW yesterday. Jason and Natalie are collaborating with industry partner, EcoMag Limited, on the 'Circular economy framework to manufacture sustainable construction materials from agri-food wastes' project.

This project looks to transform products of three waste streams – magnesium from WA’s extensive solar salt bitterns, agri-waste such as straw and wood, and CO2 released as a by-product of industrial operations – into low-carbon plasterboard.

You can learn more about this project in our upcoming video, to be released soon.



UNSW

17/05/2026

Resilience and innovation in farming. Representatives from FFS had the pleasure of attending Farming on the Fringe on Friday in Hawkesbury.

Hosted by Greater Sydney Local Land Services NSW at the Hawkesbury Race Club, Farming on the Fringe is a one-day conference for farmers, land managers, agribusiness representatives and community organisations, focussing on natural capital, carbon farming, soils, environmental markets and direct selling of local produce.

MC’d by Chris Bath, the event featured presentations and talks from Rachel Ward, Robert Pekin, Catherine Harris AO PSM plus many more, exploring proven techniques to enhance profitability in natural capital markets, carbon farming opportunities and innovative and sustainable land management practices.

Thanks to Richard Stephens and LLS team for putting on a great event.

13/05/2026

Phase 2 of the National Map of Protected Cropping Structures is a go! Building on the first phase, this latest project will update and extend the 2023 map, delivering an updated national dataset and enhanced regional detail for the NSW North Coast and Greater Sydney.

This project is supported and co-funded by Protected Cropping Australia Ltd and Local Land Services NSWs, and University of New England’s Applied Agricultural Remote Sensing Centre (AARSC).

To stay up-to-date with project news, visit: https://www.futurefoodsystems.com.au/project/national-mapping-of-protected-cropping-structures-phase-2/

To learn more about the initial project, visit: https://www.futurefoodsystems.com.au/resource/advancing-the-australian-tree-crop-map-for-a-digitally-enabled-agricultural-future-with-applied-agricultural-remote-sensing-centre/

University of New England, AU

This project works directly with Protected Cropping Australia and NSW Local Land Services to update the national map of Protected Cropping Systems, as well as add additional data variables such as crop type, grower information and other relevant details to structures within the North Coast and Great...

12/05/2026

Supervised by Prof. Zhong-Hua Chen and co-advisory committee members Assoc. Prof. Samsul Huda, Dr Li Li and Dr Jing He, Md Mazadul Islam is an FFS-supported PhD student at Western Sydney University. His research project focuses on improving fertigation efficiency in high-tech greenhouse, especially in capsicums and eggplants.

Earlier this year, team FFS filmed interviewed Mazadul discussing his research, in particular, the challenges he is trying to tackle in his project, partnerships, career goals and much more. See the full video here: https://youtu.be/97noTUeKxAk?si=0Fuwy-gFQmFwbn6r



Western Sydney University