Whole cuts: The Holy Grail of alt meat? Join us October 13 in part I of FoodNavigator-USA’s Disrupting the meat and dairy case broadcast series

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Atlast's white fibrous slabs of mycelium are a great medium for multiple kinds of whole cut meat alternatives, from bacon to chicken to beef steak, says the company. Image credit: Atlast Food Co

When it comes to meat alternatives, most people tend to think about plant-based or cell-cultured meat (real animal cells grown outside an animal). But fungi, in a less familiar form factor (think foamy slabs of mushroom mycelium instead of dome shaped cups on stalks), also has big potential, especially when it comes to the Holy Grail of alt meat: Whole cuts.

But how ‘meaty’ is mycelium-based bacon or steak, and what kind of new opportunities do they open up in the meat alternatives space? What’s their nutritional profile, and can you fine-tune the solid-state fungi-fueled fermentation process to change the final products' taste, texture or nutrition?

Join us this Wednesday (October 13) for the first installment of FoodNavigator-USA’s ‘Disrupting the Meat and Dairy Case’ broadcast series, which begins with a fireside chat with Eben Bayer at fungi-fueled startup Atlast Food Co, which is gearing up to open its first large production facility for mycelium-based meat in New York next year.

 

PART ONE: Where next for meat alternatives? From plant-based burgers to fungi-fueled bacon

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Date: Weds October 13

Start time: 10am PT/1pm ET

Duration: About 90 minutes

The session begins at 10am PT/1pm ET with a fireside chat with Eben Bayer at Atlast Food Co – a startup making ‘whole cut’ meat products from mushroom mycelium.

This will be followed by a short presentation on incorporating natural colors into meat alternatives from Oterra.

And finally we will end with a panel debate exploring everything from formulation to consumer insights, merchandising, nutrition, and processing capacity challenges, featuring:

  • Karuna Rawal, chief marketing officer, Nature's Fynd   
  • Marcellus Harris, assistant commodity manager, poultry, Kroger; co-chair of Kroger’s Plant Based Eating Associate Resource Group
  • Max Elder, co-founder and CEO, Nowadays  
  • Aurelie Mauray, marketing manager, pea and new proteins Americas, Roquette   
  • AnnMarie Kraszewski application scientist, Oterra

What we’ll cover:

  • The competing media narratives: Will ‘meat,’ ‘eggs’ and ‘dairy’ be pretty much decoupled from animals by 2035, or are we living in a VC-fueled fantasy world, and that the bubble is already starting to burst?
  • How is Kroger thinking about what to bring in, and what to pass on? Where is the white space right now? Chicken? Seafood?
  • What is 'nutritional fungi protein? 
  • Appealing to plant-forward consumers vs meat-enthusiasts: what are the different consumer groups looking for?
  • The evolving toolkit for meat alternatives: From soy, pea, wheat and faba beans to barley, chickpeas, and novel microbes  
  • Formulation trends: Improving the taste, color, and texture of meat alternatives
  • Nutrition and clean labels: Are meat alternatives good for you, and are consumer expectations changing?
  • What are the primary purchase drivers for meat alternatives and how do shoppers feel about the next generation of products? 
  • Mycelium-based whole cuts: an untapped market?
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Clockwise starting top left: Marcellus Harris, Kroger; Aurelie Mauray, Roquette; Max Elder, Nowadays; Karuna Rawal, Nature's Fynd; Eben Bayer, Atlast Food Co; AnnMarie Kraszewski, Oterra

 

Oct 13: Where next for meat alternatives? From plant-based burgers to fungi-fueled bacon

Oct 20: Where next for dairy alternatives? From oatmilk to ‘real’ cheese (minus the cows) - featuring Danone, NotCo, BioMilk, Change Foods, RSSL, and CP Kelco

Oct 27: Where next for seafood alternatives? From tuna to shrimp - featuring the Good Food Institute, Good Catch, Ocean Hugger, New Wave Foods and Aqua Cultured Foods

Related Topics

Brands & manufacturersSuppliersMarketsR&DPeopleMeatPrepared foodsLabeling, marketing & advertisingFood tech & digital transformationFruit, vegetable, nut ingredientsMeat, fish and savory ingredientsProteins