What's new for blended meat products. 08.20.2026 KANSAS CITY, MO. - Blended products - whether it's meat-and-meat or meat-and-something-else - continue to enjoy strong interest among consumers looking for new flavors, a better health profile, or both. A recent highlight from Fable Food Co., which specializes in mushroom/meat blends, is a partnership with Central Market in Texas, said Michael Fox, Fable Food's chief executive officer and co-founder. Central Market has developed and produced its own line of Shiitake Infused Beef products including a burger, sliders, meatballs and koftas. "Central Market has always been a destination for premium quality, and their customers are curious and engaged, which is exactly the right audience for blended proteins," Fox said. "Seeing these products land in the meat aisle alongside conventional options feels like a real milestone for the category. Two things separate Fable Food's blended products from others in the marketplace, Fox said. The first is the company's reliance on shiitake mushrooms, and the second is the way they cook them. "Most blended products on the market are built around vegetables or pea protein. Those ingredients can technically reduce the meat content, but they detract from rather than add umami flavor." Pea protein in particular, Fox said, has a distinct taste that consumers notice. That often has the effect of taking them away from what they're familiar with. Vegetables are nutritious, of course, but it still feels like a compromise on the final product. Mushrooms, on the other hand, have always belonged with beef, Fox said. Chefs have been combining beef with mushrooms for centuries - think beef stroganoff, beef bourguignon, mushroom sauce on a steak. And shiitakes, in particular, are one of the most abundant natural sources of the compounds that Meat+Poultry perceive as umami - more than any other culinary mushroom or ingredient. Shiitakes contain extremely high levels of glutamates and the nucleotide GMP - two powerful umami compounds that make a "dynamic duo of deliciousness," Fox said. Glutamate and the nucleotide IMP are what give beef its umami flavor. Beef doesn't contain any GMP and shiitake doesn't contain any IMP, so when you combine the two ingredients you get a product that's incredibly high in all the key umami compounds, glutamates, IMP and GMP, and it tastes richer and more flavorful than beef or shiitake alone. "Simply put," Fox said, "shiitake mushrooms actually make beef better." Fable Food must be doing something right. The company took home the top spot at the 2025 Tasty Awards, ranking #1 out of 22 blended protein products tested in the "Taste Superiority" tier. In a blind taste test, a majority of consumers preferred Fable Food's Shiitake Infused Beef burger to a 100% beef burger. Know (and educate) your market A key to understanding the market for blends starts with realizing that most shoppers aren't trying to go vegan. "They're trying to eat a little better without giving up the foods they love," Fox said. "It's about meeting consumers where they are." Shiitake-infused beef is the perfect answer for that, delivering a familiar and delicious taste in a familiar format whether it's a burger, a meatball or a kofta. It adds fiber and nutrients, and you feel good after you eat it, Fox said. Americans' increased focus on health and protein is also driving growth in blends. More than 70% of Americans say they're actively trying to consume more protein, and 59% of global consumers are prioritizing gut health for natural ways to feel fuller longer without feeling "junky." High beef prices are also a factor. "Rising input costs and tighter cattle availability are creating real pressure on the category, which makes a product that stretches quality beef further a genuinely compelling offering for retailers right now," Fox said. Despite all these favorable tailwinds, there's still an educational curve that producers and marketers of blends need to climb to convince more retailers to carry blends and more shoppers to buy them. "We don't shy away from that," Fox said. "The biggest hurdle is the word 'blended' itself, which can sound like a compromise, and shoppers have been burned before by products that promised to be as good and weren't." Transparency, he added, is everything. Fable Food highlights the phrase "Shiitake Infused Beef" where possible - on pack, signage, in how retail partners talk about these products. Fortunately, shiitake is a recognized, credible culinary ingredient that people associate with great food. Trial is also crucial to getting skeptics on board. Once someone actually tastes a Shiitake Infused Beef burger, Fox said, the conversation is over. "The product does the work. So we're very focused with our retail partners on sampling programs and in-store visibility. Getting the product into people's hands is our most effective education tool." The company's new partner, Central Market, does this well with demo stations across their stores, he added. Get better meat and poultry industry search results. Adding Meat+Poultry tells Google to prioritize MEAT+POULTRY stories.

Tracking the rise of blended meat products. 08.18.2026 Blended products - whether it's meat-and-meat or meat-and-something-else - continue to enjoy strong interest among consumers looking for new flavors, a better health profile, or both. A recent highlight from Fable Food Co., which specializes in mushroom/meat blends, is a partnership with Central Market in Texas, said Michael Fox, Fable Food's CEO and co-founder. Central Market has developed and produced its own line of Shiitake Infused Beef products including a burger, sliders, meatballs and koftas. "Central Market has always been a destination for premium quality, and their customers are curious and engaged, which is exactly the right audience for blended proteins," Fox said. "Seeing these products land in the meat aisle alongside conventional options feels like a real milestone for the category. Two things separate Fable Food's blended products from others in the marketplace, Fox said. The first is the company's reliance on shiitake mushrooms, and the second is the way they cook them. "Most blended products on the market are built around vegetables or pea protein. Those ingredients can technically reduce the meat content, but they detract from rather than add umami flavor." Pea protein in particular, Fox said, has a distinct taste that consumers notice. That often has the effect of taking them away from what they're familiar with. Vegetables are nutritious, of course, but it still feels like a compromise on the final product. Mushrooms, on the other hand, have always belonged with beef, Fox said. Chefs have been combining beef with mushrooms for centuries - think beef stroganoff, beef bourguignon, mushroom sauce on a steak. And shiitakes, in particular, are one of the most abundant natural sources of the compounds that Supermarket Perimeter perceive as umami - more than any other culinary mushroom or ingredient. Shiitakes contain extremely high levels of glutamates and the nucleotide GMP - two powerful umami compounds that make a "dynamic duo of deliciousness," Fox said. Glutamate and the nucleotide IMP are what give beef its umami flavor. Beef doesn't contain any GMP and shiitake doesn't contain any IMP, so when you combine the two ingredients you get a product that's incredibly high in all the key umami compounds, glutamates, IMP and GMP, and it tastes richer and more flavorful than beef or shiitake alone. "Simply put," Fox said, "shiitake mushrooms actually make beef better." Fable Food must be doing something right. The company took home the top spot at the 2025 Tasty Awards, ranking #1 out of 22 blended protein products tested in the "Taste Superiority" tier. In a blind taste test, a majority of consumers preferred Fable Food's Shiitake Infused Beef burger to a 100% beef burger. Know (and educate) your market A key to understanding the market for blends starts with realizing that most shoppers aren't trying to go vegan. "They're trying to eat a little better without giving up the foods they love," Fox said. "It's about meeting consumers where they are." Shiitake-infused beef is the perfect answer for that, delivering a familiar and delicious taste in a familiar format whether it's a burger, a meatball or a kofta. It add fiber and nutrients, and you feel good after you eat it, Fox said. Americans' increased focus on health and protein are also driving growth in blends. More than 70% of Americans say they're actively trying to consume more protein, and 59% of global consumers are prioritizing gut health for natural ways to feel fuller longer without feeling "junky." High beef prices are also a factor. "Rising input costs and tighter cattle availability are creating real pressure on the category, which makes a product that stretches quality beef further a genuinely compelling offering for retailers right now," Fox said. Despite all these favorable tailwinds, there's a still an educational curve that producers and marketers of blends need to climb to convince more retailers to carry blends and more shoppers to buy them. "We don't shy away from that," Fox said. "The biggest hurdle is the word 'blended' itself, which can sound like a compromise, and shoppers have been burned before by products that promised to be as good and weren't." Transparency, he added, is everything. Fable Food highlights the phrase "Shiitake Infused Beef" where possible - on pack, signage, in how retail partners talk about these products. Fortunately, shiitake is a recognized, credible culinary ingredient that people associate with great food. Trial is also crucial to getting skeptics on board. Once someone actually tastes a Shiitake Infused Beef burger, Fox said, the conversation is over. "The product does the work. So we're very focused with our retail partners on sampling programs and in-store visibility. Getting the product into people's hands is our most effective education tool." The company's new partner, Central Market, does this well with demo stations across their stores, he added. Get better fresh food retail search results. Adding Supermarket Perimeter tells Google to prioritize Supermarket Perimeter stories.