A breakthrough in sustainable baking

Foodstuffs South Island (FSSI) has announced a landmark collaboration with Leaft Foods, a New Zealand-based pioneer in leaf protein extraction, to explore the use of Rubisco protein – the planet’s most abundant protein found in green leaves – in bakery applications.

Leaft Foods has begun commercial production of Rubisco protein from locally grown alfalfa in Canterbury. The ingredient is non-GMO, allergen-free, and nutritionally comparable to animal proteins, offering a sustainable alternative to eggs in baked goods such as cakes and muffins.

The partnership will see FSSI’s bakery teams trial Rubisco protein as a substitute for egg protein. According to Leaft Foods CEO Ross Milne, Rubisco’s emulsion stability and gelling capability allow it to perform like eggs in baking, without compromising taste, texture, or quality.

This innovation could help alleviate supply pressures and cost volatility in the egg market, while diversifying ingredient sourcing for bakeries. For plant-based developers, it represents a scalable solution to one of the most persistent formulation challenges: replicating egg functionality.

The collaboration underscores several broader trends in the plant-based sector:

• Ingredient innovation: moving beyond soy and pea proteins, Rubisco offers a new frontier in plant-based functionality.
• Local sourcing: by extracting protein from alfalfa grown in Canterbury, Leaft Foods strengthens regional supply chains and reduces reliance on imported ingredients.
• Sustainability: Rubisco production carries a fraction of the carbon footprint of conventional dairy protein, aligning with climate-conscious consumer demand.

Daniel Te Raki, FSSI’s bakery operations manager, emphasised that the partnership reflects both customer choice and sustainability goals, noting that it could reshape how baked goods are produced across the South Island.

Leaft Foods, founded by food and farming leaders John Penno and Maury Leyland, has evolved from a kitchen experiment into a commercially viable protein solution. Backed by investors including Khosla Ventures, NBA star Steven Adams, indigenous investor Ngāi Tahu, and ACC’s Climate Change Impact Fund, the company is now accelerating expansion into the United States.

For the global plant-based industry, Leaft’s Rubisco innovation represents a new category of sustainable protein that could complement or even rival existing plant-based staples.

For retailers and food manufacturers, the partnership signals:

• New product development opportunities in bakery and beyond.
• A chance to differentiate plant-based offerings with unique sustainability credentials.
• Potential to future-proof supply chains against volatility in animal-derived ingredients.

‍