The mushroom meat revolution has begun, and you’re about to get a taste

Fungi are organisms that sit at the intersection of the plant and animal kingdoms with features of both but in a world of their own. One benefit of occupying this confined space is that the mycelium – the mushroom’s fast-growing root system – produces a robust, whole-cut vegan meat that delivers the flavor of animal flesh but without the cruelty associated with killing a sentient animal.

And while this may all sound like science fiction – or someone is describing it Fantastic mushroom The film we all love—mushroom meat is something you can taste right now, in the casual setting of vegan fast-food chain PLNT Burger.

Owned by forward-thinking celebrity chef Spike Mendelsohn, PLNT Burger is among the first restaurants in the country to add mycelium-grown vegan chicken, developed by Colorado-based Meaty Foods, to the menu.

“It’s no secret that we love mushrooms on PLNT burgers. One of our best-selling burgers is the PLNT Mushroom BBQ Bacon Burger, we’ve had a lot of fun and success with our Chicken Fun-Guy sandwich in the past,” Mendelsohn told VegNews. “When we heard Mayty had created a mushroom root chicken patty, we couldn’t resist exploring this superfood and its ingredients.”

“It’s absolutely delicious and nutritious and we’re so happy to share it with our PLNT Burger family,” he says.

meat food

The Crispy Chicken Sandwich features a breaded beef filet prepared like chicken and stuffed with vegan mayo, lettuce and pickles, as well as soft potato buns. And if you want something with a kick, the Spicy Crispy Chicken Sandwich is the same build but with hot sauce and vegan pepper jack cheese.

Meaty chicken sandwiches are now on the menu at 13 PLNT Burger locations across New York, Washington, DC, Massachusetts, Virginia, Pennsylvania and Maryland. Through the end of April, the new chicken sandwiches come with a 50 percent off BOGO deal and $1 kickback on future Meati items at PLNT.

Methi vegan meat

Metty was founded in 2016 by Tyler Huggins, who gained his knowledge growing up on a bison ranch. The mission? Good meat, period.

meat food

“The debut of Meati on PLNT Burger’s on-menu furthers our mission to bring nutritious offerings to consumers nationwide in an accessible and delicious way,” Christina Ra, Vice President of Marketing and Communications told VegNews. “We know there’s demand for Mayte, evidenced by early category leadership at retailers as well as frequent feedback from consumers looking for Mayte.”

“We’re thrilled to be able to bring people another way to eat meat, and it was ideal to do so with an ethical partner like PLNT Burger,” says Ra.

Beyond its availability at PLNT, mety mycelium meats are on select menus at restaurants owned by David Chang in Los Angeles and NYC. Meati also introduced its vegan chicken and steak to retail at Sprouts Farmers Markets nationwide.

meat food

“The potential of mycelium today is unmatched in terms of its quality, whole-food protein composition and its scalability,” says Ra. “Working with meaty mycelium, which we call ‘mushroom root,’ allows us to deliver great texture, protein, fiber and micronutrients without the fat, cholesterol and environmental footprint.”

To support its expansion into food service and retail, the company is currently scaling its mycelium meat production to what it calls the “Mega Ranch,” a facility in Colorado capable of producing more meat (of the vegan variety) than any individual cattle ranch. in the country.

“On our mega ranch, we’ve been able to turn a teaspoon of mycelium spores into feed equivalent to hundreds of cows in a matter of days,” says Ra.

By the end of 2023, Meati aims to produce 45 million pounds of mushroom meat at the Mega Ranch, a facility it’s calling the “Giga Ranch” for further expansion—all with the goal of changing the way meat is made for good.

“Mycelium offers a very real solution to some of our most pressing issues around food safety and health today, and has the potential to alleviate the negative effects of conventional meat for a healthier and more sustainable food system,” said Ra.

The mushroom meat revolution takes root

Mayte is one of several companies focusing on mycelium as a meat substitute. On the East Coast, eco-minded entrepreneur Eben Bayer has been in the mycelium business for more than 15 years, running Ecovative—which uses the magic of mycelium to create sustainable materials like packaging.

MyForest Foods

Bayer expanded his reach into the food industry by launching MyForest Foods, under which he is currently using mycelium to create a credible alternative to pork bacon. Like Meati, MyForest is in a major growth phase at its newly opened Swersey Silos in Green Island, NY where the company’s patented AirMycelium process significantly reduces land and water use compared to traditional animal farming while delivering delicious vegan bacon to consumers.

Bayer believes that mycelium will play an important role in future food, especially meat, as the planet continues to heat up to unsustainable temperatures. “The properties of fungi and mushrooms are much closer to ‘meat’ than plants,” Baer tells VegNews. “Beef steak polypore, chicken of the woods, and lobster are called mushrooms for a reason—they already have similar meaty characteristics.

“When factoring in the texture of the mycelium, which is chewed like animal meat, we’re just beginning to scratch the surface of mycelium’s potential as a food ingredient,” Bayer says.

On the other side of the country in Sacramento, CA, The Better Meat Co. (BMC) recently hosted a mycelium-powered dinner. The event, called “Night Under the Fermenters,” invited guests to sample a multi-course meal made possible by ryza—a fungus-derived microbe that it uses as a nutritious base for everything from foie gras to turkey chops to desserts.

Dinner features mycelium bites to start the party and continues with courses such as a salad topped with mycoprotein bacon, rigatoni meated with a mycelium fennel ham (a type of forcemeat), and cubes of mushrooms made to mimic chicken breast. Guests were given a mycelium-powered muffin to go – made using the formulated flour BMC.

Better Meat Co.

While Meati and MyForest Foods are consumer-facing companies, BMC is primarily an ingredient company and does not only work with mycelium. One of its first commercial products is “Chicken Plus,” a blended nugget developed with major chicken company Perdue that contains a 50/50 blend of plant and animal proteins. BMC is working on products with meat giants Maple Leaf Farms and Hormel.

However, mycelium—which BMC is still working to scale—presents exciting opportunities, and the company recently added a scientific advisory board to help it stay at the forefront of the emerging industry.

“We’re focusing primarily on mycelium now because it’s more meat-like, it’s cheaper to produce and we think it’s a superior product,” Bromley said. “There are literally thousands of species of fungi that could potentially be used for meat analogs. We’re focusing on a particular one right now. With fungi, we’ve only scratched the surface.”

Because mycelium doesn’t require the processing of plant-based ingredients like beans to become a plant-based burger, Bromley believes the nutritional mushroom root has huge appeal and potential.

“It’s something that can be used to solve a lot of hunger problems because it’s cheap to grow,” Bromley said. “There is huge potential not only in terms of meat alternatives but also in feeding the population. That’s what really matters.”

Meati, BMC, and MyForest Foods are all harnessing the power of mycelium to build a thriving meat industry—where we can live in ways that promote the health of animals, people, and the planet.

Better Meat Co.

“Innovations like mycelium technology will provide new opportunities for food industry players to support their bottom lines while meeting consumer demand,” said Baer. “All of this can happen while nurturing the planet and not harming any animals.”

“Thanks to the mycelium, we can eat our meat and eat it too,” he says.