Mush Foods launches restaurant-ready mushroom root blends

Mush Foods says its new 50Cut line of chef-crafted mushroom root blends help improve nutrition and sustainability in ground beef, poultry and fish dishes. This U.S. launch follows last year's introduction for restaurants in Israel. 

"We're grateful for the enthusiastic and early recognition we've received and are thrilled to launch a line of outstanding mushroom root blends we think chefs will love," AJ Schaller, culinary director for Mush Foods, said in the release. "The Mush Foods team has unearthed an epicurean treasure, poised to solve some of our most pressing environmental challenges in a stunningly simple and seamless way. We've crafted a product that can help reduce meat consumption while enhancing flavor, juiciness and yields."

Mush Foods raised $6.2 million in seed funding in 2023 and was named a Grow-NY Food and Agricultural Business Competition winner, demonstrating readiness to help transform the U.S. foodservice and restaurant industry by helping reduce meat consumption, according to the release. The company says chefs swapping the 50Cut mushroom root blends into recipes, in place of some of the meat, can seamlessly enhance flavor and nutritional value, while improving cost and reducing the environmental impact in every dish.

"To be a category leader in this space, a company must provide great flavor, price parity and nutritional value," Yael Alroy, partner at Viola Ventures, said in the release. "Mush Foods stands out in its ability to meet all three." 

Mush Foods says it enters the market at a pivotal moment as nearly 1 in 4 consumers say they are attempting to cut back on meat. The ground meat category is estimated at $600 billion, a $94 billion industry in the U.S. alone, while plant-based meat alternatives represent just 1.5% of the category, according to the release. Mush Foods says it is offering the market a flavor-first ingredient that gives chefs the culinary flexibility to meet evolving consumer needs.

"The support of visionary investors propelled our entry to market, enabling us to empower restaurants and foodservices purveyors to address urgent supply and environmental needs with groundbreaking and great tasting menu options," Mush Foods CEO Shalom Daniel said in the release.