These startups hope “blended” food will cut our appetite for red meat

Blended food combines real meat with plant-based ingredients to create products like meatballs, burgers, or ground meat. The goal is to reduce red meat consumption while keeping the taste and texture familiar to meat-eaters. For example, Joyn’s 50/Cut blends beef with mushrooms and mycelium (the root-like threads of fungi) to mimic the juiciness and flavor of pure beef. This approach differs from fully plant-based alternatives, which aim to replace meat entirely but often face taste and texture challenges. In a 2025 test at Cane Bay High School in South Carolina, 92% of students who tried Joyn’s meatballs wanted them added to the menu, with many describing the flavor as 'bussin'—slang for 'very good.' The idea isn’t new; many cuisines worldwide already mix small amounts of meat with vegetables, but startups are now commercializing and scaling these blends to address climate concerns.

Livestock production, especially beef, is a major contributor to climate change, accounting for 10% to 20% of all greenhouse-gas emissions linked to human activity. Cows and other ruminants (like goats and sheep) produce methane—a potent greenhouse gas—through digestion, with methane having 28 times more global-warming potential than carbon dioxide. Beef farming also requires vast amounts of land for grazing and feed crops, driving deforestation in regions like the Amazon. In the U.S., food-related emissions make up as much as 30% of a household’s carbon footprint. Unlike other polluting sectors, reducing cattle emissions is difficult because their biology can’t be easily altered. Even with technological fixes, such as methane-reducing supplements, the problem persists. Researchers like Fredrik Hedenus at Chalmers University of Technology argue that dietary changes, including eating less beef, are essential to meet climate goals.

Plant-based meat alternatives, such as those from Impossible Foods and Beyond Meat, gained popularity in the late 2010s, promising to reduce meat consumption without sacrificing taste. Impossible’s 2016 burger introduced heme, an iron-rich molecule that mimics the 'bleeding' effect of beef, while Beyond Meat focused on pea-protein-based burgers. However, by 2023, the sector faced challenges. Impossible’s stock value dropped 89% from its 2021 peak, and Beyond Meat laid off 20% of its staff. Sales declined by 10% in 2025, partly due to taste and texture issues—Nectar research found that plant-based meats were five to six times more likely to have 'bad aftertaste and off flavors' compared to animal counterparts. Additionally, plant-based meats faced criticism for being 'ultra-processed,' a term increasingly used as a political critique, despite some studies suggesting they are nutritionally better than red meat.

Blended meat products, which mix real meat with plant proteins, are gaining traction because they appeal to flexitarians—people who eat meat but are open to reducing their intake. A 2022 blind taste test co-funded by the USDA found that diners preferred blended burgers over fully plant-based ones. Major food processor ADM reported that 75% of millennials are interested in trying blended meats. Companies like Joyn, BMC Ingredients, and Fable Foods are capitalizing on this trend by creating products that retain the taste and texture of meat while being more sustainable. For example, BMC Ingredients grows mycelium (a protein-rich fungus) in a process similar to brewing beer, producing a fibrous texture that mimics meat. These products are often cheaper than pure beef, making them attractive for large-scale food service providers, such as schools and stadiums.