CHICAGO – At this year’s National Restaurant Association Show, plant-based innovation moved beyond meatless burgers and chicken nuggets. The spotlight was squarely on mushrooms, mycelium-powered proteins, and globally inspired, bite-sized versatility. From shiitake-based pulled “meat” to mycelium-powered bacon and Mediterranean-style snacks, foodservice operators found fresh and flexitarian-friendly solutions designed for today’s evolving menus.
Mushroom Umami: Meaty, Familiar, and Flavor-Forward
Chefs have long relied on mushrooms – shiitake, portobello, maitake, and oyster – for their savory umami flavor and wide range of textures. Now, mushroom-forward products are entering the foodservice mainstream:
- Fable Food Co. served up Jim’s Secret Texas BBQ featuring its Pulled Shiitake Mushrooms. The company uses the tough, fibrous stems of shiitake mushrooms to create pulled formats and burger patties with rich, meaty flavor and texture. Fable’s BBQ Shiitake is currently featured in the BBQ Shroom Bowl at Just Salad.
- Phillips Gourmet Mushrooms, in partnership with 5 Diamond Foods, highlighted the Moo-Shroom Burger – a 60/40 blend of ground beef and mushrooms. This builds on the Blended Burger concept championed by the Mushroom Council and James Beard Foundation, promoting nutrition and sustainability without sacrificing flavor.
- The Mushroom Angel Co. showcased Cruz Chop Mushroom Ground, an umami-rich, plant-based ground made with portobello mushrooms – ideal for tacos, meatballs, or bowls.
Mycelium in Action: Clean Labels, Bold Flavor
Mycelium is the root-like network of fungi that grows underground or within organic matter. While mushrooms are the fruiting bodies we see and eat, mycelium functions as the fungus’ nutrient-absorbing system. In food innovation, it’s prized for its fibrous, meat-like texture, umami flavor, and lower environmental impact.
- MyForest Foods sampled MyBacon and its new MyPulled Pork, both made from organic oyster mushroom mycelium. Grown over 12 days in vertical farms in Green Island, New York, MyForest uses a solid-state fermentation process to create a clean-label product with just five ingredients. MyBacon is already sold in over 1,200 stores, including Whole Foods, and is free from the top nine allergens.
- 50CUT (formerly Mush Foods) showcased its 50CUT Bratwurst – a 70/30 blend of mushroom root mycelium and milk-fed pork, crafted by Dufour Gourmet. The company produces mycelium from edible mushroom strains – oyster, trumpet, shiitake, and lion’s mane – over an eight-day cycle in Hudson Valley, New York. The resulting ingredient can replace up to 50% of ground meat while preserving taste and texture.
- Prime Roots showcased its koji mycelium-based deli meats, including Classic Smoked Koji Ham and Sliced Pizza Pepperoni. Koji – a traditional Japanese fermentation starter used in miso and soy sauce – produces mycelium with a long, fibrous structure and savory umami flavor, ideal for whole-cut alt-meat applications.
Bites & Snacks: Globally Inspired, Foodservice-Ready
Another standout trend this year: bite-sized, heat-and-serve plant-based products ready for multiple dayparts.
These offerings add flexibility to menus – from appetizers to wraps – while meeting growing demand for flavorful, dairy-free, and flexitarian-friendly proteins beyond baked tofu and chickpeas.
- Nature’s Fynd launched Fy Bites in four globally inspired flavors: Spicy Indian, Herby Thai, Savory Italian, and Zesty Greek. Made from Fy, a fermented nutritional fungi protein, each serving contains 14g of protein, 5g of fiber, and ⅓ cup of vegetables. Fy Bites are Big 9 allergen-free, vegan, and certified gluten-free – and recently rolled out at Plantega locations across New York City.
- No Meat Factory presented Plant-Based Jalapeño & Cheese Poppers, a clean-label alternative to a nostalgic favorite. These crispy poppers are filled with melty plant-based cheese and deliver just the right kick of heat.
- Grecian Delight | Kronos offered Chickpea-Zucchini Bites, pre-fried and oven-ready Mediterranean fritters made with vegetables and herbs. Their versatility makes them well-suited for salads, sandwiches, or entrée builds.
The Food Institute Podcast
Just how difficult is it to scale a better-for-you snack company? Rebecca Brady, founder and CEO of Top Seedz, shares how she turned a homegrown idea into a rapidly scaling snack brand and breaks down the strategy behind her growth, from bootstrapping production to landing national retail partnerships.
