The EU just put €10 million behind a London startup making whole-cut steaks from fungus. Adamo Foods secured the grant through the Circular Bio-based Europe Joint Undertaking, under Horizon Europe. The mycelium whole-cut steak race just got a serious industrial-scale contender.
TLDR
- EU’s CBE JU awarded Adamo Foods €10M under Horizon Europe.
- The three-year MycoStruct project spans 12 partners across Europe.
- Bidfood and Bühler signal real foodservice and equipment buy-in.
- Mycelium whole-cut steak targets circular bio-economy production.
- TU Delft and TFTAK add serious research depth to the consortium.
A Consortium Built for Commercial Reality
Vegconomist reports that Adamo Foods’ three-year project, called MycoStruct, is not a lab experiment. It assembles 12 partners: food distributor Bidfood Group, equipment giant Bühler, TU Delft, Estonia’s food research centre TFTAK, and Bio Base Europe. That combination covers the full value chain, from fermentation science to industrial processing to distribution.
Bühler’s involvement matters specifically. The Swiss equipment manufacturer already serves major grain and protein processing lines globally. Its presence signals that mycelium whole-cut steak production is being engineered for real factory floors, not pilot kitchens.
What Sets Mycelium Whole-Cut Apart
Most alternative protein products are extruded or restructured. Whole-cut formats, by contrast, replicate the fibrous texture of a steak or fillet without assembly. That is the technical gap mycelium naturally bridges, and it is why operators in foodservice and retail have watched this space closely.
Adamo CEO Pierre Dupuis called the grant “a transformative milestone” and framed the platform as a “scalable, circular bio-economy.” Circular production is a key differentiator here. Mycelium fermentation can use agricultural side-streams as feedstock, reducing input costs and waste simultaneously.
Additionally, the CBE JU’s mandate specifically targets bio-based value chains that replace fossil-derived or resource-intensive inputs. Adamo’s model fits that brief cleanly. For food manufacturers watching ingredient sourcing costs and sustainability commitments converge, this is worth tracking closely. Learn more about the alternative protein landscape at thefutureoffood.org.
Watch this. The companies that move early on whole-cut mycelium formats will own the premium protein shelf before the category has a name.
Source: vegconomist.com. https://vegconomist.com/investments-finance/eu-awards-adamo-foods-10m-bring-fungal-whole-cut-steaks-commercial-scale/