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The Spoon

Daily news and analysis about the food tech revolution

meatless meat

MycoTechnology Mushroom Tech Drives New Shelf Stable Alt-Protein

A few years ago, it might have seemed bizarre to anyone to have meatless crumbles, vegan cheese, or molecular alcohol alongside smart home and digital health tech on the show floor. But with the launch of Impossible Foods in 2020, CES has started to embrace a wider definition of food tech — one that goes beyond the smart kitchen. That’s why it’s no surprise that MycoTechnology — a company that created a mushroom technology that turns mycelia into different forms of alternate protein — has chosen this week at CES 2022 to launch its consumer-facing brand.

Goodside Foods is debuting shelf-stable meatless crumbles made from plant protein powered by fermentation. While there are a good deal of alt meat products derived from plant protein, Goodside’s meatless crumbles stand out because they only include three ingredients and they’ll last a lot longer and without refrigeration.

Powered by MycoTechnology’s mushroom fermentation platform, Goodside Foods meatless crumbles contain a pea and rice protein blend fermented by shitake mushroom roots or mycelia. The brand claims that the natural fermentation process makes their plant protein easier to digest.

In a written statement, Lisa Wetstone, Director, Innovation and Growth Strategy at MycoTechnology, Inc. commented, “Consumers deserve plant-based protein that is delicious, clean and nutritious. Our protein doesn’t contain anything extra or unnecessary – just three simple ingredients that can work for a thousand and more of your favorite recipes.”

MycoTechnology and Goodside Foods are at CES showing off their mushroom tech platform and the first consumer product to come from said tech — if you want to try shelf-stable meatless crumbles and learn more, visit booth #53753 in the Venetian (formerly Sands) Expo Hall A-C.

Cargill Challenges Beyond Meat with New Meatless Burgers to Debut in April

There will soon be a new entrant in the plant-based meat shelf, and it’s a big one. Today Cargill, the global food and agriculture giant, announced that it would release its own meatless patties and ground products in early April. The new offerings will be sold both through retailers and restaurants.

According to Reuters, Cargill’s new faux meat will be made of both pea and soy protein. Beyond Meat is made of pea and Impossible of soy, so it’s intriguing that Cargill has chosen to combine the two to try and differentiate itself and nail the flavor of meat.

Flavor aside, Cargill has one advantage over newer upstarts like Beyond Meat and Impossible Foods: its massive supply chain. The corporation has been operating for 155 years and is one of the world’s largest privately held companies. With its size and scope, Cargill can scale quickly and likely won’t face any supply hiccups, which have plagued both Beyond and Impossible in the past.

These are the first plant-based meat products from Cargill, but the company has been bulking up its alternative protein involvement over the past few years, including investments in pea protein producer Puris (which supplies Beyond Meat) totaling $100 million.

That is just a drop in a bucket compared to the $7 billion Cargill has invested in animal protein in the last five years. Despite dipping its toe into the alt-protein space, the company is still known globally for its involvement in animal agriculture, including the trade of beef’s two main feed sources: corn and soy.

Cargill is far from the only Big Meat company diversifying into alternative protein. Tyson and Perdue have both rolled out blended meat products; that is, offerings that are a mixture of meat and plants. Last year pork producer Smithfield debuted a line of plant-based ground meat and patties. Others, like Nestlé and Unilever, have taken the acquisition route and bought Sweet Earth Foods and the Vegetarian Butcher, respectively.

Like this growing list players, Cargill claims it’s not moving away from meat, but rather diversifying its offerings to meet the growing demand for protein of all stripes. Brian Sikes, leader of Cargill’s global protein and salt business, summed it up in the release: “Whether you are eating alternative or animal protein, Cargill will be at the center of the plate.” Come April, we’ll see if the global company’s new products have the taste to make that statement true.