This research explored how adding common foods like barley can help grow fungal materials more effectively. These fungal materials could be used to make sustainable products like packaging and insulation. The study found that adding ground barley significantly improved fungal growth, offering a simple way to turn both food and agricultural waste into useful materials. Impacts on everyday life: • Provides a way to create eco-friendly packaging and building materials from waste • Offers a solution for reducing food waste by using it to grow useful materials • Enables local manufacturing of sustainable products without complex equipment or training • Helps reduce environmental impact by creating biodegradable alternatives to synthetic materials • Could lead to more affordable and locally-produced sustainable products