Atlast Food Co., a subsidiary of biotechnology business Ecovative Design located in New York, has recently secured an agreement with Whitecrest Mushrooms Ltd. to create MyBacon (their vegan mushroom bacon) on a commercial scale. The farm, located in Ontario, Canada, will employ Atlast's AirMycelium technology to fine-tune the environmental conditions surrounding developing mycelium—the mushroom's fast-growing root systems—to make whole-cuts of vegan bacon.
"We're pleased to use our knowledge in the emerging market of alternative proteins after more than a decade of experience cultivating and manufacturing the best quality gourmet mushrooms," Murray Good, owner and president of Whitecrest Mushrooms, said in a statement. "This collaboration has provided us with fresh opportunity to create in an entirely new setting while maintaining sustainability at the heart of our work."
Whitecrest will leverage its mushroom-growing skills, as well as Ecovative's infrastructure, to construct a farm that will cultivate the mycelium substrate for Atlast's vegan bacon (dubbed "mushroom belly"). To make the final product, the mycelium will be brined and sliced into complete pieces of vegan meat that have the same sear, sizzle, chew, and fattiness as animal meat.
"Our collaboration with Whitecrest and Ecovative will enhance Atlast's development to fulfill the crucial demands of a burgeoning alternative-meat industry," stated Steve Lomnes, Chief Operating Officer of Atlast Food Co. "It will not only allow us to put more MyBacon strips on customers' plates, but it will also unleash a sustainable method to produce food in a manner that benefits our whole ecosystem."
Atlast is using the $40 million in capital it received last year, as well as its relationship with Whitecrest, to significantly extend the distribution of MyBacon, which is now only accessible at Honest Weight Food Co-op in Albany, NY.
Mushrooms are Used to Produce Whole-cuts of Vegan Bacon.
The practice of raising pigs for bacon is not only cruel to animals and harmful to the environment, but it is also very inefficient. A pig takes around six months to reach slaughter weight, and one pig produces just 16 pounds of bacon.
With Atlast's new cooperation with Whitecrest, 3 million pounds of vegan bacon can be produced on less than one acre of land, resulting in a far higher, quicker output and the elimination of the need to torture animals for bacon. Furthermore, growing bacon in this manner reduces the issue of pig feces, which many industrial farms keep in fetid lagoons or pump into the air, causing lung health concerns in neighboring populations.
"Atlast started as a query about how to disrupt industrial farming and help ease the climate catastrophe, and we discovered the answer waiting for us in nature," said Eben Bayer, co-founder and CEO of Ecovative and Atlast. "By cultivating mycelium, we create food in a climate-conscious manner while without sacrificing flavor." More plant-based food choices are needed now more than ever on Spaceship Earth. We can address those expanding demands by partnering with Whitecrest Mushrooms."