Derived from the root structure of mushrooms, mycelium provides a high-protein, fiber-rich food source that companies such as Meati Foods claim tastes similar to meat.
Founded in 2017, Meati Foods has been working to get mycelium its own food category.
“My goal is to make sure that customers don’t bring us down with the plant-based performance that has happened over the last few years,” John Bortells, Meati’s new chief commercial officer, told Food Dive.
Bortells started in the food and beverage industry, beginning at Pepsi, then moved to A2 Milk Company, where he helped establish the product, which claims that the A2 protein (rather than A1 protein) gives dairy lovers a more comfortable experience.
Similarly, Meati Foods draws the line between plant-based and their company’s fungi-based ingredients.
This week, Meati Foods faced a class action lawsuit accusing the company of falsely advertising its products as “made with mushroom root.”
The plaintiff, Serena Caldeira from California, claims that “Meati products are not made from mushroom roots or any part of a mushroom. Instead, the main ingredient is Neurospora crassa, a red mold commonly found on bread.”
In reality, mycelium is a root-like structure of a fungus that resembles a mushroom under a microscope.
In response, CEO Phil Graves told Food Dive that the company is “going back to our roots,” literally. He explained, “Many years ago, mycelium was not a household name. It still isn’t today, but awareness and momentum are growing among consumers.”
The case against Meati Foods echoes a high-profile class action filed in 2016 against Quorn Foods. Quorn was accused of misleading consumers by suggesting its meat alternatives, made from the fungus Fusarium venenatum, were “substantially similar to a mushroom.”
Quorn settled by agreeing to add label disclosures stating, “Mycoprotein is a mold member of the fungi family. There have been rare cases of allergic reactions to products that contain mycoprotein.”
According to plaintiff Serena Caldeira, “Meati’s deceptive conduct is far worse than Quorn’s because Meati is falsely stating, not just implying, that its products are made from mushrooms, and it is doing so on the front of every package.”
»Related: France allows plant-based foods to use ‘meaty’ terms