Blended Proteins for the Flexitarian Age? Inside the Rise of Animal-Plant Hybrids
From Perdue’s veggie-fortified nuggets to Both Burger’s meat-and-plant hybrids and Fable Food’s shiitake innovations, a new generation of blended proteins is balancing taste, cost, and sustainability.
1 November 2025
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A 50-50 Beef & Mushroom Patty vs a 100% Beef Patty
| Photo Credit: Fable Food Co
A 50-50 Beef & Mushroom Patty vs a 100% Beef Patty | Photo Credit: Fable Food Co
In the race to redefine the future of protein, innovators are beginning to blur the lines. No longer confined to the binary of meat versus plants, a new generation of blended and hybrid products is taking root: part animal, part plant, and in some cases,
part fungi.
These products, known in industry terms as “balanced proteins,” promise something both radical and familiar: the taste and texture of meat, with the health and environmental benefits of plants. In a food system struggling to meet climate targets while satisfying global appetites, blended proteins may offer a pragmatic middle path, one that doesn’t ask consumers to give up the foods they love, only to rethink what they’re made of.
A New Middle Ground
For years, the protein debate has been framed as a tug-of-war between carnivores and vegans. But a growing number of companies believe the future is neither all meat nor no meat, it’s somewhere in between.
The terminology, though often used interchangeably, matters. “We tend to use the term ‘blended’ to refer to products that are a mix of conventional and plant-based or alternative proteins, and the term ‘hybrid’ to refer to those combining cultivated meat with plant-based ingredients,” the Good Food Institute (GFI) explains.
Put simply, blended meats are traditional animal products fortified with plant ingredients — think burgers, sausages, or nuggets containing vegetables, legumes, or grains. Hybrids, meanwhile, take that concept further by combining plant bases with cultivated fats or muscle cells for improved flavour and mouthfeel.
Momentum is building on both fronts. Across Europe, innovators are joining forces with established food companies to bring hybrid products closer to market. In Switzerland, Mirai Foods has teamed up with German heritage brand Rügenwalder Mühle to co-develop cultivated beef fat for its next-generation blended meats. In Spain, Cubiq Foods, backed by Cargill, is refining cultivated fat ingredients designed to improve the texture and juiciness of plant-based products.
These partnerships signal a shift from concept to commercial reality, a pragmatic recognition that the protein transition won’t happen through ideology alone.
The Taste Test Revolution term
Both Burger’s blended patties are made with 50% beef and 50% all-natural veggies | Photo Credit: BOTH Burger
Both Burger’s blended patties are made with 50% beef and 50% all-natural veggies | Photo Credit: BOTH Burger
The shift isn’t just philosophical, it’s sensory.
Recent studies are challenging the long-held belief that sustainability comes at the cost of flavour. In blind taste tests conducted by Nectar, a non-profit initiative focused on the protein transition, nearly 1,200 omnivores compared conventional meat products with blended versions. The results were surprising. Consumers preferred the Shiitake Infusion Burger from Fable Food Co., Perdue’s Chicken Plus nuggets, and Duo’s beef-and-mushroom burger over their 100% meat counterparts. Another standout, Both Burger’s 50:50 blend, reached what researchers called “taste parity” with an all-beef burger.
“For the burger category, the balanced leader outperformed animal products on overall liking, flavour, texture, and appearance,” says Tim Dale, category innovation director at Food Systems Innovation, Nectar’s parent organisation. “Taste is the gatekeeper for sustainable dietary change. These products represent a real breakthrough, where
the more sustainable choice is also the more delicious one.”
According to Dale, more than half of the participants said they’d consider purchasing balanced proteins in place of conventional meat at least half the time. “Consumers don’t want to be convinced to love ‘better meat,’ ” he adds. “They want the meat they love to simply be made better.”
Blending for a Balanced Plate
If the first wave of plant-based products targeted the vegan consumer, this next phase is squarely aimed at
the omnivore. Major European grocery retailers like Lidl see blended products as a bridge to mainstream adoption. “Not everyone wants to eat meat substitutes or legumes. By introducing a blended product on the meat shelf alone, we really appeal to the carnivore. They don’t even have to change their consumption patterns,” a Lidl spokesperson was quoted as saying to vegconomist.
That insight has sparked a wave of innovation in the U.S., with Perdue Farms reimagining its chicken nuggets with hidden cauliflower and chickpeas, marketed less as a climate solution and more as a nutritional upgrade.
Perdue’s Chicken Plus Nuggets are made with a blend of white meat chicken breast, chickpeas and cauliflower | Photo Credit: Perdue
Perdue’s Chicken Plus Nuggets are made with a blend of white meat chicken breast, chickpeas and cauliflower | Photo Credit: Perdue
At the same time, 50/50 Foods, maker of the Both Burger, is taking a more direct approach. The company describes its mission as simple but ambitious: “to cut meat consumption in half by delivering exceptional foods to the large and growing population of flexitarians.” The result is the first and only USDA-approved 50/50 burger, made from equal parts beef and plant ingredients, designed to be “both healthy and delicious, both good for your heart and good for the planet.”
The approach is working. A Food Systems Innovations survey of 2,000 U.S. consumers found that 50:50 blends hit
a “sweet spot”, offering enough familiarity for meat-eaters while delivering clear sustainability and health benefits. Thirty-seven per cent preferred blends with 1–49% plant ingredients, while another third leaned toward a 51–99% ratio. Gen Z and millennials showed the strongest interest, with 38% and 34% respectively drawn to the concept.
Andrew Arentowicz, co-founder and CEO of Both Burger, says that while flexitarians are their most enthusiastic early adopters, the appeal is broadening fast. “Our core demographic is flexitarians, a large and growing population,”
he explains. “But anyone who cares about health, especially moms who want their kids to eat more veggies, what we call ‘stealth health’, and those who care about the environment, are also large and growing affinity groups. Honestly, we sell a delicious burger that also happens to be good for you and good for the planet, so it’s a win-win-win for all consumers.”
For Arentowicz, the company’s success underscores a simple truth: taste and familiarity open the door to change. “When you meet people where they are, at the dinner table, you don’t need to ask them to make sacrifices,” he says. “You just give them a better burger.”
A medley of mushrooms | Photo Credit: Fable Food Co
A medley of mushrooms | Photo Credit: Fable Food Co
No conversation about blended proteins would be complete without the fungi frontier. Fable Food Co., co-founded by Michael Fox and Jim Fuller, is redefining what “meat alternatives” can mean through the natural power of shiitake mushrooms.
Succulent Pulled Shiitake | Photo Credit: Fable Food Co
Succulent Pulled Shiitake | Photo Credit: Fable Food Co
“Shiitake mushrooms are the core of our products,” says Fox. “We’re reimagining mushrooms by improving their texture and elevating their natural umami flavours to become a succulent, umami-rich culinary protein.”
Fable’s research shows that consumers are increasingly turning toward mushrooms not as alternatives to meat, but as a desirable ingredient. “Our research showed us that consumers want mushrooms,” Fox explains. “They don’t want meat alternatives.”
Fable Food Co’s Shiitake Infusion is designed to be blended with minced beef for an exceptional taste experience | Photo Credit: Fable Food Co
Fable Food Co’s Shiitake Infusion is designed to be blended with minced beef for an exceptional taste experience | Photo Credit: Fable Food Co
That insight is paying off. In Nectar’s recent blind taste tests, a blended burger combining ground beef and
Fable’s shiitake ingredient outperformed an all-beef counterpart on taste. “Only two products outperformed 100% beef, and we were one of them,” Fox says. “Shiitake mushrooms blend really well with beef, and with our patented cooking processes, you not only get a better taste and texture, you get a much higher yield and therefore lower cost. Normally, when you cook mushrooms, you lose half the weight in water, but that doesn’t happen with our product.
By blending Shiitake Infusion with beef, consumers can enjoy a familiar, satisfying taste experience that wins on taste, health and price, while reducing the environmental impact.”
Fable’s shiitake innovations are also a sustainability win. The company’s mushroom-based products use 98% less water and produce 94% fewer greenhouse gas emissions than beef, offering chefs and consumers alike a natural ingredient that’s flavourful, efficient and clean-label. “Taste, price, and health are the three key drivers for consumers,” Fox adds. “Our products offer chefs a ready-to-use ingredient that’s delicious, sustainable, and efficient in the kitchen.”
Climate, Culture and the Future of Meat
For all their innovation, the promise of blended proteins goes beyond the plate. The global food system is under pressure: livestock alone accounts for over a third of agricultural emissions. As Dale notes, “Replacing even half of your meat consumption can double your climate benefits and lower emissions by 31%.”
In that sense, balanced proteins are less a novelty and more a necessary evolution, akin to hybrid cars in the energy transition. They represent an incremental, achievable shift toward a more sustainable diet without sacrificing familiarity or flavour.
“Many meat eaters aren’t ready to completely give up their favourite dishes but are looking for ways to eat healthier and reduce their carbon footprint,” notes ingredient supplier ICL Food Specialties, a company that develops functional ingredients for meat and plant-based foods. “The solution is hybrid products that combine meat and plant-based ingredients that provide the flavour and texture consumers crave, with the healthfulness they desire.”
Or, as Dale puts it, “We’re not trying to convince people to give up meat. We’re giving them a better version of what they already love.”
What’s Next?
As the boundaries between animal, plant, and fungi blur, one thing is clear: the protein transition is no longer a question of if, but how. With taste parity achieved and consumer acceptance growing, blended and hybrid meats could soon become the new normal, a redefined category that meets the demands of a climate-conscious yet
comfort-driven world.
Whether it’s a mushroom-infused burger, a 50:50 nugget, or a cultivated fat-enhanced sausage, the next chapter of protein innovation won’t be about replacing meat but reimagining it.
After all, the future of food may not lie in choosing sides, but in finding balance.
Photo Credit: Fable Food Co
Photo Credit: Fable Food Co
Author: Michelle Yee
A content and communications professional, Michelle spent more than a decade creating content for several leading media titles, including Lonely Planet Asia, Yahoo Singapore, Wine & Dine. After leaving the media industry in 2019, she has been honing her craft at a global communications agency where she helps develop and drive publicity campaigns for brands in the consumer and corporate sectors.