Quorn� The other *not* meat.

I have been reading about this product for a while now. I've never had it, but I will give it a try when my local supermarket starts carrying it. It's a meat substitute. The manufacturer has described it as a mycoprotein coming from a mushroom. Here lies the basis of my post.

Gardenburger is having some legal problems with the way Marlow Foods, makers of Quorn� is promoting it's line of meatless products.

We are writing to request that the Food and Drug Administration take enforcement action against the misleading labeling of the mycoprotein ingredient in Quorn� products. The Quorn labels refer to their mycoprotein ingredient as mushroom based or mushroom in origin. We believe this to be a misleading statement in that the Quorn� mycoprotein is not related to mushroom.

This is a link to the full letter. www.gardenburger.com...

My question is, would you buy this product regardless of the promotional data? If they actually said :
Try the new fungus-based mycoprotein Quorn� burger !! It's fungal-icious !!!
It doesn't sound very appetizing does it?


[Edited on 3-10-2004 by darklanser]

It appears Publix here in Tampa has them, might give them a try...
If I do, and die, I'm coming to haunt you darklanser

Hi DL!!

I saw your thread and thought you were talking about this Quorn - a village not too far away from where I live!! Quite famous for the Quorn hunt, incidentally... Tally ho!!

(Sorry to have gone off topic but couldn't resist...)

u have never had Quorn before!!

Its disgusting...even compressed it comes out like little oval egg shapes...yuck!!!!

Save urself the bother...dont eat it

Once you get a load of cheese and ketchup on it, a quorn burger is a nice protien filled meal for the likes of us veggies

Well...

I don't know about the rest of you, but I happen to like mushrooms. Maybe this stuff won't actually be too too bad.

I think I may give it a try. I'll still eat beef though. Lots of beef.

Fungus smungus. Sounds to me like the gardenburger folks are just trying to protect their marketshare by forcing the Quorn maker to label their products differently.

I prefer my mushrooms on a steak, pizza or in an omlette, but not as the main course.

meat subsitute. that just sounds gross. lol.

Im a pescetarian, (only eat veggies and fish), and I really dont feel like i need beef. I take iron pills.

I'd give it a try, why not. I like mushrooms, and I if it were in fact fungus based, it wouldn't bother me.

Its disgusting...even compressed it comes out like little oval egg shapes...yuck!!!!

From the above description, however, it doesn't sound like it looks very appetizing.

Doing some research, I found this site :

www.cspinet.org...

It seems as though some people have a severe allergic reaction when eating this stuff.

Quorn is the brand name of meat substitutes that are made from a vat-grown fungus. Some people have dangerous allergic reactions to the fungus and suffer nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and occasionally hives or difficulty breathing. Some people react the first time they eat Quorn, while some react only after building up a sensitivity.

Also, this little nugget of fact.

Quorn is made from a less appetizing fungus (or mold) called Fusarium venenatum.

and this...

The manufacturer of Quorn is Marlow Foods, a division of the multinational pharmaceutical giant Astra Zeneca, one of the dominant corporations in genetically engineered food. They are telling the public that the food is made from mushrooms. The packaging says the �mycoprotein� in Quorn is �made from natural ingredients� that are �mushroom in origin,� and �made from a small, unassuming member of the mushroom family.� This evokes images of tiny mushrooms growing humbly and peacefully in the Earth.

more...

This comes as no surprise to Dr. David A. Morowitz, Clinical Professor of Medicine (gastroenterology) at Georgetown University. � The data argue compellingly,� he says, �that the mycoprotein derived from Fusarium venenatum is almost certainly gastrotoxic. The risk of its toxicity does not justify its continued use here in the United States.�

Wow. A food conspiracy.......

[Edited on 3-12-2004 by darklanser]

Yes - its pretty foul. I tried it once and it didn't really taste much like meat. It had the same consistancy as a hamburger but thats about it. I suppose it would be ok covered with ketchup and mustard but thats about the only way I'd eat the stuff again.

as darklancer posted, sounds like this Quorn stuff could be a big concern for people that are really allergic to molds or fungus. that would be not so cool.

this whole 'meat subsitute' thing has always baffled me. either eat meat or don't...I'm not sure why people who choose not to eat meat would want a meat substitute. weirdness.

Originally posted by MorningtonCrescent
this whole 'meat subsitute' thing has always baffled me. either eat meat or don't...I'm not sure why people who choose not to eat meat would want a meat substitute. weirdness.

I think the simple answer to this is, that some people like the taste of meat, but do not believe in killing animals.