MyBacon, a mushroom-based bacon alternative brand, continues to take root in US retail outlets. In February, MyBacon, from MyForest Foods, Green Island, NY, became available at 57 Whole Foods Market locations in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut.

By August, MyBacon was available in more than 650 locations in the northeastern part of the United States, said Sarah-Marie Cole, chief marketing officer. The product is available on the West Coast through Good Eggs, an online marketplace retailer.

“Since we’re growing the mushroom’s roots — not its fruits — the farming technology has been a process of trial and error,” said Eben Bayer, MyForest Foods co-founder and chairman of the board, when the Whole Foods entry was announced. “We have dialed in on the precise environmental factors necessary to grow delicious and nutritious whole cuts of mycelium.

“Our farm may have been the first of its kind, but it won’t be the last. Today, as our farm is producing toward capacity, our partner mushroom farm, Whitecrest Innovations Inc. (in Canada), is poised to double our production in 2024. Whitecrest has proven that we can enable existing mushroom farms to add AirMycelium to their crop repertoire. It’s a significant opportunity for both the grower and MyForest Foods.”

MyBacon is made up of oyster mushroom mycelium (the root structure of mushrooms) grown indoors. It has the taste and texture of traditional bacon, according to the company. Through this farming technology, MyForest Foods produces whole cuts of mycelium in 12 days, Cole said. It is not fermented, and nothing is extruded. It is grown on a substrate that is returned to the Earth as compost after being used. The indoor farming technique requires 98% less water and 99% less than pork bacon production, Cole said.

“It has a natural yummy umami flavor that is easily enhanced with our simple ingredients,” Cole said of the mycelium. “There are so many other types of gourmet edible mushrooms for us to explore. Our theory is that we will be able to grow other strains of mycelium to make other like-flavored foods, such as experimenting with chicken of the woods, beefsteak polypore or even lobster mushrooms. For now, we are going to keep exploring all the different types of foods we can make with oyster mushroom mycelium. We are just getting started.”

The other four ingredients in MyBacon are salt, organic sugar, organic coconut oil and natural flavors. MyBacon contains no gluten, dairy, soy or animal products, Cole said. MyBacon contains 3 grams of protein, 2 grams of fiber, 3 grams of fat, 420 mg of sodium and no cholesterol in an 18-gram serving (two slices).

“Naturally, mycelium does not contain any fat,” Cole said. “Coconut oil is added as a cooking fat that helps deliver the perfect sizzle, allowing MyBacon to cook up nice and crispy and tap into all five senses: the smell, the sight of the sizzling bacon on the pan, the taste and texture, the slightly chewy yet crispy crunch.”

The company spun out of Ecovative, a mycelium technology company Bayer founded in 2007 after graduating from New York’s Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Bayer grew up working on his family’s farm in Vermont. Greg Shewchuk, who previously worked at Campbell Soup Co. and was chief executive officer of Nestle Health Science’s SpoonfulOne, became CEO of MyForest Foods in May 2023.

The plant-based bacon alternatives entered the alternative meat market in 2020, back when the company was called Atlast Food Co. In January 2022, the company’s name changed to MyForest Foods since forests are mycelium’s natural habitat.

MyForest Foods on July 25, 2022, commissioned its new vertical AirMycelium farm, Swersey Silos in Green Island, that has the capacity to produce nearly 3 million lbs of mycelium per year. A proprietary AirMycelium cultivation method developed by Ecovative controls mycelium’s shape and density as it grows, fine-tuning the same environmental factors present in its forest habitat, according to MyForest Foods.

“Our origin company, Ecovative, has unearthed mycelial discoveries with change-the-world capabilities,” Cole said. “Ecovative’s technologies are responsible for bringing a multitude of better materials to market, ranging from packaging and foam to leather and food — like MyBacon. At MyForest Foods, we use Ecovative’s AirMycelium technology to harness mycelium’s potential in a whole new way. The result is a product that’s actually delicious and not full of junk.”