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Europeans are confused about fungi as food, with 2 in 3 survey respondents not knowing what mycoprotein is, and almost half thinking that mushrooms are plants

04.15.26 | PLOS

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Fungi-based food in the public eye: Terminology, cultivation timelines, sustainability, and nutrition across three EU countries
Proportion of respondents in Germany, Spain and Sweden selecting what they think mycoprotein is, including the aggregated percentage of incorrect answers (‘Net: Incorrect answer’). Credit: Hellwig, Taherzadeh, 2026, PLOS One, CC-BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

Europeans are confused about fungi as food, with 2 in 3 survey respondents not knowing what mycoprotein is, and almost half thinking that mushrooms are plants

Article URL : https://plos.io/4sKlmmn

Article title: Fungi-based food in the public eye: Terminology, cultivation timelines, sustainability, and nutrition across three EU countries

Author countries: Sweden

Funding: Swedish Research Council FORMAS with grant number 2023-02018.

PLOS One

10.1371/journal.pone.0345657

Fungi-based food in the public eye: Terminology, cultivation timelines, sustainability, and nutrition across three EU countries

15-Apr-2026

: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Keywords

Fungi Life Sciences Mycology Organismal Biology

Article Information

Journal
PLOS One
DOI
10.1371/journal.pone.0345657
Article Publication Date
2026-04-15
Article Title
Fungi-based food in the public eye: Terminology, cultivation timelines, sustainability, and nutrition across three EU countries
COI Statement
: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Contact Information

Hanna Abdallah
PLOS
onepress@plos.org

How to Cite This Article

APA:
PLOS. (2026, April 15). Europeans are confused about fungi as food, with 2 in 3 survey respondents not knowing what mycoprotein is, and almost half thinking that mushrooms are plants. Brightsurf News. https://www.brightsurf.com/news/LRD062Y8/europeans-are-confused-about-fungi-as-food-with-2-in-3-survey-respondents-not-knowing-what-mycoprotein-is-and-almost-half-thinking-that-mushrooms-are-plants.html
MLA:
"Europeans are confused about fungi as food, with 2 in 3 survey respondents not knowing what mycoprotein is, and almost half thinking that mushrooms are plants." Brightsurf News, Apr. 15 2026, https://www.brightsurf.com/news/LRD062Y8/europeans-are-confused-about-fungi-as-food-with-2-in-3-survey-respondents-not-knowing-what-mycoprotein-is-and-almost-half-thinking-that-mushrooms-are-plants.html.