{
  "id": 15728785,
  "title": "These startups hope “blended” food will cut our appetite for red meat",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/20/these-startups-hope-blended-food-will-cut-our-appetite-for-red-meat",
  "topic": "tech",
  "section": "Tech",
  "published": "2026-10-20T09:00:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "MIT Technology Review",
    "slug": "mit-technology-review",
    "url": "https://www.technologyreview.com/2026/10/20/1145927/blended-meat-food-startups-building-bridge-to-ditch-red-meat/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "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.",
  "summary": "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…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}