You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles
YUMPU automatically turns print PDFs into web optimized ePapers that Google loves.
RESEARCH<br />
PERSPECTIVE<br />
Driving Fresh Mushroom<br />
Category Growth<br />
by bart minor, president, mushroom council<br />
According to a recent purchase-behavior<br />
study, “Fresh Mushrooms<br />
Fast Facts — A Quick Guide to<br />
Shopper Purchase Behaviors” — conducted<br />
by the Mushroom Council based on data<br />
from the National Consumer Panel (NCP),<br />
an IRI and Nielsen operational joint venture<br />
— mushroom consumers are found<br />
to be receptive to both new varieties of<br />
mushrooms and new ways to incorporate<br />
mushrooms into their meals. Fresh mushroom<br />
purchasers average six mushroom<br />
buying trips per year for a total annual<br />
spend of $15.78 on fresh mushrooms. Over<br />
half of U.S. households purchased fresh<br />
mushrooms in 2015.<br />
The Mushroom Council actively developed<br />
initiatives to increase mushroom<br />
consumption ranging from school nutrition<br />
to utilizing registered dietitians at retail. The<br />
Council is driving fresh mushroom category<br />
growth and encouraging consumers to use<br />
fresh mushrooms.<br />
NEW INITIATIVES PROMOTE<br />
MUSHROOM CONSUMPTION<br />
The Blend<br />
Consumers, chefs, foodservice operators<br />
and retailers are using The Blend to<br />
increase produce consumption and enhance<br />
and extend meat. The Blend is the culinary<br />
technique of blending fresh, chopped mushrooms<br />
with ground meat. Finely chopped<br />
mushrooms blend seamlessly with ground<br />
meat to make meals more delicious, nutritious<br />
and sustainable. The diced mushrooms<br />
are mixed with proteins such as beef,<br />
turkey, lamb or pork to make hamburgers,<br />
meatloaf, meatballs, tacos and more into<br />
healthier versions of classic meals.<br />
Consumers are actively looking for ways<br />
to eat better without giving up the flavor<br />
and the foods they enjoy. Approximately 100<br />
million transitional meat consumers (those<br />
looking to reduce red meat consumption)<br />
are looking for an improved alternative to<br />
their diet. This consumer group is comprised<br />
largely of Millennials and Baby Boomers.<br />
By reaching consumers with new<br />
mushroom usage suggestions the<br />
industry is increasing growth<br />
potential for fresh mushroom sales.<br />
Eating better for this group means making<br />
an effort to seek nutritious alternatives to<br />
their existing high caloric and high fat diets.<br />
Supermarket Registered Dietitians<br />
Supermarket Registered Dietitians activate<br />
their passion for improving public health<br />
by helping shoppers make healthier choices<br />
at retail. They have been instrumental in<br />
educating the foodservice, deli and meat<br />
departments at retail to carry Blend products<br />
for their customers. Many retailers showcase<br />
the Blend through cooking demonstrations,<br />
healthy meal plan displays and recipe cards.<br />
Consumers find the Blend technique incredibly<br />
easy to make and love that they are<br />
improving the nutritional value and flavor<br />
of their family’s favorite recipes. Retailers<br />
are finding a positive sales result in both the<br />
mushroom and meat categories.<br />
School Nutrition<br />
Thanks to their hearty texture and likeness<br />
to meat in terms of taste and texture,<br />
mushrooms are used to makeover school<br />
meals. To meet National School Lunch<br />
Program guidelines, foodservice directors<br />
use The Blend to appeal to kids while still<br />
meeting rigorous nutrition requirements.<br />
Many school districts have introduced<br />
mushrooms into their meal cycle with great<br />
success. The mushrooms in school nutrition<br />
program encourages students to try mushrooms,<br />
understand the health benefits, and<br />
become a mushroom lover, which helps<br />
create mushroom shoppers for life.<br />
VALUE OF THE BASKET INCREAS-<br />
ES WITH FRESH MUSHROOMS<br />
Household dollar sales of fresh mushrooms<br />
reached over $1 billion in sales in<br />
2015. Research suggests that the average<br />
dollars spent on mushrooms per shopping<br />
occasion has increased steadily to $2.69.<br />
This indicates shoppers are spending more<br />
during their shopping trip.<br />
If mushroom buyers spend $1 more per<br />
year on mushrooms, it would translate to a<br />
$66 million increase in annual fresh mushroom<br />
sales. A 1 percent increase in household<br />
penetration represents an annual sales<br />
opportunity of over $19 million.<br />
Increasing household usage is a prime<br />
growth opportunity for fresh mushrooms.<br />
Research indicates that the shopping basket<br />
value increases 82 percent to $75.62 when<br />
mushrooms are included in the basket.<br />
Over the last four years, the value of the<br />
basket with mushrooms has grown faster<br />
than without, up 8 percent and 6 percent,<br />
respectively.<br />
By reaching consumers with new mushroom<br />
usage suggestions the industry is<br />
increasing growth potential for fresh mushroom<br />
sales. Not only can consumers become<br />
excited about trying The Blend, retailers can<br />
become excited to increase fresh mushroom<br />
category growth.<br />
Data Source: IRI Consumer Network TM 2015 /<br />
Fresh Mushroom Fast Facts – A Quick Guide to<br />
Shopper Purchase Behaviors<br />
The Mushroom Council is composed<br />
of fresh market producers or importers<br />
who average more than 500,000<br />
pounds of mushrooms produced or imported<br />
annually. The mushroom program is authorized by<br />
the Mushroom Promotion, Research and Consumer Information<br />
Act of 1990 and is administered by the Mushroom<br />
Council under the supervision of the USDA’s Agricultural<br />
Marketing Service. Research and promotion programs<br />
help to expand, maintain and develop markets for individual<br />
agricultural commodities in the United States and<br />
abroad. These industry self-help programs are requested<br />
and funded by the industry groups that they serve.<br />
16 / AUGUST 2016 / PRODUCE BUSINESS