These startups hope “blended” food will cut our appetite for red meat
In the fall of 2025, Jeff Dodge set up a six-foot folding table in the cafeteria of Cane Bay High School in Summerville, South Carolina, to conduct a taste test. When the first rush of about 150 hungry students hit, he was waiting with slow cookers filled with steaming marinara sauce and meatballs. Kids love…
In the fall of 2025, Jeff Dodge, founder of K–12 Food Solutions, set up a taste test station at Cane Bay High School in Summerville, South Carolina. Dodge created a meatball blend that combined real beef with mushrooms, and the result was a moist, flavorful product that many students enjoyed. An iPad was used to collect feedback, and the surveys showed that 92% of students who tried the meatballs wanted it on the cafeteria menu for the following school year.
This innovative product, called 50/Cut, could be a game-changer in the fight against climate change, as livestock production accounts for a significant portion of human-related greenhouse gas emissions. By blending meat with plant-based ingredients, companies like Joyn are creating a more sustainable alternative to traditional meat products, without requiring a complete shift in consumer preferences.
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