Meat+Poultry - April 2018 - 54

FOODSERVICE

BENEFITS OF BLENDING
Foodservice has taken to the idea of blending mushrooms
into ground beef for a variety of positive attributes
BY B O B S I M S | b s i m s @ s o s l a n d.c o m

T

wo matters have
captured the American
consumer's attention
in recent years, and consequently the attention of the
food-processing industry.
An awareness of changes in
the earth's environment and
the future protection of it
along with an ongoing quest
for health and wellness
remain at the top of the list
of priorities when consumers choose food products.
What were once trends have
become everyday concerns
of the typical shopper.

54

COLLABORATION
About two years ago,
Wichita, Kansas-based Cargill Protein and foodservice
and facilities management
company Sodexo began to
work together on a premium ground beef product
from cattle that had never
been given antibiotics or
hormones. The partnership
came in an attempt by the
two companies to provide
customers and consumers
with a product they wanted
and asked for. Sodexo
surveyed adult workers and
college aged respondents
regarding attributes they
would most prefer in a
ground beef product.
"Antibiotic and hormone
use were clearly, in both
groups, way at the top
in attributes that people
are looking for," says Rob
Morasco, senior director
for culinary development,
Sodexo, North America.
"So, we said OK, that's an
important thing. How are we
going to address that in our
spaces and go forward?"
Morasco and his team

MEAT+ POULTRY | 04.18 | www.meatpoultry.com

develop recipes, menus, concepts and manage projects
for Sodexo's campus, school,
corporate dining, health
care, government and senior
segments.
The main impediment to
putting a ground beef product
without hormones and
antibiotics into the market,
for both Cargill and Sodexo,
was cost. Neither company
wanted a price increase to
their end customers. With
drastic price fluctuations
in the cost of conventional ground beef versus a
product with no antibiotics
or hormones, they needed to
find another solution.

"Customers liked the
concept, but found the cost
prohibitive, so we needed to
innovate," says Steve Zutell,
corporate account leader at
Cargill. "At about the same
time, we had a meeting with
the Mushroom Council to
determine possibilities for
protein collaboration."
Cargill brought the
concept of a mushroom and
ground beef mix, with the
ground beef portion of the
mix being antibiotic and
hormone free, to Sodexo.
The Sonic Signature Slinger
features a ground beef and
ground mushroom blend.

©stocksolutions - stock.adobe.com

A product consisting of
a mix of ground beef and
ground mushrooms has
grown, evolved and now fills
a space that adequately addresses the environment and
health and wellness at the
same time. Not only that, the
mushroom and beef mixture
also offers suppliers and
customers a further health
benefit and label claim

without the typical extra
cost that comes with it. The
mushroom and beef blend
has recently surfaced, and
become a regular product
offering in foodservice.
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