Meati Foods announced the creation of the Meati Science Advisory Board (MSAB), composed of scientists in the fields of nutrition and food science, to research the spectrum of health benefits offered by mushroom root, a term used to describe the mycelium in Meati products. Research into other types of mycelia suggests it may also have positive impacts on heart health, digestion, the immune system and blood glucose levels. The MSAB was created to expand upon that research, exploring the full benefits of mycelium as a part of a regular diet, and developing a deeper understanding of the health potential of mycelium as a whole-food source of complete protein.

“Meati was founded on a commitment to develop food solutions good for the health of people and the planet, and we are excited to strengthen this commitment by working with the MSAB to unlock the vast potential of our mycelium and mycelia in general,” says Dr. Justin Whiteley, CTO and co-founder of Meati Foods. “At Meati, we believe consumers and the environment win when we invest in rigorous scientific understanding of our products, and the MSAB was created with that goal in mind.” 

Dr. Harold Schmitz, chairman of the MSAB, is a general partner at The March Group and senior scholar in the Graduate School of Management at the University of California, Davis (UC Davis). He previously served as the chief science officer at Mars, Inc. and is an advisor to the Novo Nordisk Foundation’s BioInnovation Institute based in Copenhagen, Denmark.

Additional members of the MSAB include Dr. Carl L. Keen, professor emeritus in the UC Davis Department of Nutrition, who worked on California’s Proposition 65, a regulation in protecting drinking water sources from toxic substances that cause cancer and birth defects and the reduction or elimination of exposure to those same chemicals in consumer products; Dr. Roberta R. Holt, associate researcher in the UC Davis Department of Nutrition, who brings expertise in the effects of phytochemicals in whole foods on physiologic response and the refinement of dietary recommendations to reduce chronic disease development and their effects; Dr. Justin Siegel, associate professor of chemistry, biochemistry and molecular Medicine at the UC Davis Genome Center, who is the faculty director of the Innovation Institute of Food and Health and conducts research in the fields of protein science and protein bioavailability; and Dr. John Munafo, flavor science director at the University of Tennessee Department of Food Science, who has researched the enhancement of flavor and the health-promoting properties of foods to improve the quality of the global diet. 

The Eat Meati product line currently includes the Classic Cutlet, Crispy Cutlet, Classic Steak and Carne Asada Steak.