Can we make any food without relying on plants?
Short answer: it’s easier to grow it
Because photovoltaic panels are more expensive than plant leaves
We could do what you’re suggesting, it would just be incredibly inefficient.
Why would I want to manufacture a plant when I can use a seed to do it for me?
I assume you’re talking about (for example) some equipment that takes in soil/water/air, rearranges the atoms and churns out potatoes. We definitely can’t do that. It’s too hard, we’re nowhere near that level of technology.
I can only imagine the people in this thread are referring to lab grown stuff where they use plant cells, which is cheating because that’s still depending on plants.
As other people say, it’s easier to let the plants do the job for us.
That said, check out vertical farming if you’re not familiar with it. It’s a modern approach to farming that very much relies on plants, but dramatically reduces problems such as excessive land use and dependence on pesticides.
Here’s a relevant short video about the benefits of farming in general
I hope this helps answer your question 👍