Global food production accounts for a significant share of greenhouse gas emissions and resource use, particularly through traditional meat production. Livestock farming consumes large amounts of water, land, and energy, contributing to deforestation and biodiversity loss. With a growing global population there is a pressing need to produce more food with fewer resources to ensure food security and combat climate changes. Shifting dietary habits towards plant-based proteins is one strategy to achieve this, but barriers persist. Despite rising consumer interest, only a fraction of individuals actively reduce meat consumption due to taste preferences, nutritional concerns and accessibility.

MATR Foods has developed a new generation of plant-based meat alternatives. Using just five organic ingredients: oats, split peas, lupins, beetroots and potatoes, all sourced from local farms. They employ fungal fermentation, an ancient technique that creates a product with a meat-like texture, flavour and umami taste. The fermentation process is versatile, allowing a adaptation of the method to a variety of crops, making it scalable and applicable across diverse agricultural contexts globally. MATR Foods’ approach also helps meet consumer demands for sustainable and flavourful meat alternatives.

Replacing 30 percent of global meat production with plant-based alternatives like MATR Foods’ products has the potential to reduce CO₂ emissions by three billion tonnes annually. Moreover, this shift could free up to 15 percent of the world’s agricultural land, enabling it to be repurposed for reforestation and biodiversity restoration.