Consumption of alternative mushroom formats increases at the cost of fresh

by

Sales of fresh mushrooms, whether conventional, organic or exotic, have shown a decline in recent years. “During Covid, we saw a brief uptick of fresh mushroom consumption,” says Mark Kreiner, Outside Sales Coordinator with Mother Earth Organic Mushrooms. “This was the result of more home-cooked meals being prepared and people looking for healthy food options.”

That uptick has slowly migrated away from fresh mushrooms to fresh mushroom alternative offerings such as mushroom teas, coffees, tinctures, powders, jerky’s, frozen and fresh burgers etc. These products have gained popularity in recent years, especially with a younger demographic. “The younger population increasingly seeks these “processed” products over fresh mushrooms, causing cannibalization in the segment. Mushroom powders and tinctures can be added to beverages and other consumables creating healthier portable and potable options. “In addition to being shelf-stable and portion controlled, the versatility of dried and powdered mushrooms is amazing, and they are suitable for so many different eating occasions,” said Kreiner.

© Mother Earth

Diversification
In the past, the only option for consumers to purchase mushrooms was either to buy fresh or buy in a can on the shelf. Shoppers now have so many more alternative consumable formats across all classes of trade to still get the nutritional value of mushrooms. At retail, more HBC shelf space is being dedicated to shelf-stable mushroom products such as powders, tinctures, teas, etc. to meet the increasing consumer demand as migration continues to move away from fresh. Retailers are also adding more shelf space in their frozen and refrigerated cases for mushroom burgers, crumbles, entrees, pizzas, etc.

While Mother Earth is not the only company providing dried mushroom pieces and powders, the company is unique in offering these products in an organic format. All products are derived from mushrooms grown in the United States: Lion’s Mane, Oyster, Shiitake, and Portabella with plans to add more SKUs to the portfolio.

© Mother Earth

For more information:
Mark Kreiner
Mother Earth, LLC
Cell: 443-962-0926
[email protected]
www.organicmushrooms.com

Related Agroforestry News Posts:

  1. Potato and pomegranate production in Rajasthan’s desert In Rajasthan’s desert areas of the western region typically known for their lack of vegetation, an important change towards farming has been noticed. Barmer district, specifically is now an area of distinction for the cultivation of pomegranates as well as...
  2. Southern Hemisphere doors open for French stone fruit breeder The 21st June was the day that COT International, a French breeder with its headquarters in Bouillargues (Gard, France) has signed an agreement with Eternal Fresh, an Australian group Eternal Fresh, that is notably the representative of the Stone Fruit...
  3. Miyazaki mango sells for $3,600 per kg, among world’s costliest fruits The Miyazaki mango, known as the “Egg of the Sun,” holds the distinction of being one of the priciest fruits globally, with prices reaching approximately US$ 3,600 per kilogram. Originating from Miyazaki Prefecture in Japan, this mango is cultivated under...
  4. “Climate problems are a major factor in Spanish Import season” Problems with weather are common during problems with weather that are common to the Spanish imported season. Numerous heavy rainstorms occurred following a prolonged dry spell which led to problems the, say, Spanish soft fruit production as well as quality....
  5. FreshPlaza Global Focus on soft fruit and stone fruits For the month of April, FreshPlaza will be focusing on stone and soft fruits. Are you a cultivator or importer of these kinds of fruits? If yes, then we’d like to hear from you. Send us details, or we’ll contact...

Source: The Plantations International Agroforestry Group of Companies