Food Chain - Issue 208 - October 2025 | Page 90

PARTNER CONTENT
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... but perhaps the best advantage for us is that mushrooms can be grown easily in the UK
the difference, and it has helped the university significantly reduce its carbon footprint.”
The deal builds on a wider partnership with the university, and Darren Vipond, Teesside’ s Director of Campus Services, added:“ As a university which puts sustainability at the heart of its mission, it’ s fantastic we can offer products that make a real impact – and which our own academics helped create.”
Myco is now in talks with other universities- alongside butchers, retailers and local councils- to create a launch pad for their‘ Save the Earth’ range, which by absorbing the meat’ s juices and flavor, is indistinguishable from meat but with 50 percent less carbon.
Scaling sustainable solutions
With the UK meat market worth £ 30 billion, even the forecasted five-to-ten percent switch to hybrids by 2030 would create a multi-billionpound market by the decade’ s end. Myco is scaling-up to meet that anticipated demand- with innovation at the very heart of the business.
“ Around eight months ago we commissioned our own vertical farm, and we’ ve now got seven growing rooms next to our production facility,” David reveals.“ To produce our mushroom substrate, we put the mushrooms through a very light process, which doesn’ t see them heated to more than 83 degrees. We then add three or four other ingredients in a specific order and at set temperatures, to result in our mushroom substrate which is either used as the base of our plant-based products or mixed with meat to create our hybrid products.
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