unClassic Foods Is Changing the Narrative Around Plant-Based Protein with Specialty Mushroom

unClassic Foods, founded by Luiza Villela, is using specialty mushrooms as they are a superior protein source, unlike other companies' that imitate meat in taste and texture. San Francisco, California--(Newsfile Corp. - November 24, 2023) - The global meat substitute industry has grown to more than $14.1 billion in 2021, and is projected to reach $17.4 billion in 2027, according to research by global business consulting firm EY. Despite this, consumption of plant-based protein still pales compared to animal meat. There are numerous obstacles to widespread adoption of meat substitutes such as sub-par products, unfamiliarity, or cultural reluctance. Luiza Villela, a food scientist and founder of unClassic Foods, says the main reason so-called meat substitutes are not selling as well as expected is because most consumers don't have a problem eating meat and, in fact, love eating it. Therefore, there is no hurry for the public to stop its meat intake making it extremely hard to convince them to exchange something they like for something they don't like or aren't familiar with. Villela also noticed that most people see meat alternatives as an inferior product, and that many meat substitute companies feed into this narrative by benchmarking their products against meat, which is considered the golden standard. With products including the likes of plant-based "meatballs" or "chicken", mimicking even the appearance of meat, giving them the impression that plant-based protein is "fake meat" or lesser than the golden standard.