January 2009 Industry News

Mushrooms were featured in the January issue of Woman’s Day magazine. The article notes that a serving of shiitake mushrooms has as much vitamin D as a glass of milk, in their “Eating Healthy Starts Here” guide. To view the full article click here.

SHIPMENT SUMMARY

Mushroom Council First Handler Reports (millions of pounds; totals may not match due to rounding).
Current Charts

	Oct-08	Oct-07	% change	YTD 08	YTD 07	% change
Total Shipments	60.73	59.70	1.73	616.02	620.66	-0.75
Domestic Shipments	53.15	52.85	0.57	546.94	554.26	-1.32
PA	31.22	31.79	-1.80	316.81	230.06	-1.02
CA	10.16	8.82	15.18	102.59	98.27	4.40
Rest of US	11.78	12.25	-3.80	127.54	135.93	-6.17
Imports	7.58	6.85	10.66	69.08	66.40	4.04

COUNCIL UPDATE

The next Council meeting is scheduled for February 23, 2009 in San Antonio, Texas. If you are planning on attending, please let us know so that arrangements can be made.

A new Handler Report has been approved by the Office of Management and Budget and is now in effect. The only change is a new column “Total Dollar Value of LBS Marketed”. The collection of this information will help the Council to better evaluate its efforts and will be reported much in the same way that we currently report the pounds (see shipment chart above). As with the pound information you have provided in the past, this information is to be held in strict confidence as per Sec. 1925 in the Act. This form was mailed for the first time to all handlers in December.

Please remember that non-exempt growers are required to pay assessments on all production pounds that are sold into the fresh market.

Nomination information will be mailed to eligible producers on January 30^th. Nominations are due no later than May 1^st. TheU. S. Department of Agriculture, as well as the Council, encourages all eligible producers including women, minorities and individuals with disabilities to participate in the nominations and seek nomination to serve on the Council. If you are interested in serving on the Council or one of our Advisory groups (Retail, Foodservice, Consumer Communications and Nutrition Research & Communications), contact Cheryl at the Council office.

New postings to www.mushroomcouncil.org include:

Nutrition Research Update:

For more information on any of these research projects, contact: mj@feeney.us.com

Lawrence Cheskin’s, MD, Johns Hopkins University/Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, research on the lack of energy compensation over 4 days when white button mushrooms are substituted for beef continues to general publicity. Best Life Magazine requested a copy of the study which was also mentioned in the online version of Common Ground Magazine November Healthy Living: Body Talk. The January/February 2009 issue of Women’s Health mentioned the research in an article entitled “Who needs beef?” The Mushroom Bureau (United Kingdom) built on Dr. Cheskin’s research and developed the “Mushroom Swap Diet” (www.mushroom-uk.com).

Shiuan Chen’s Ph.D., City of Hope, Duarte, CA, research “White button mushroom exhibits antiproliferative and proapoptotic properties and inhibits prostate tumor growth in athymic mice” was published in Nutrition and Cancer 2008; 60(6)744-56. Dr. Chen has begun the breast and prostate cancer research clinical trials.

David Haytowitz/USDA Nutrient Data Laboratory, Beltsville, MD will coordinate the analysis of the vitamin D content of a variety of conventionally raised mushrooms and a full nutrient analysis of UV exposed mushrooms. The project begins with sample pick up at designated retail markets during February. Growers of D mushrooms have provided samples to Virginia Polytechnic Institute (Virginia Tech) to develop the vitamin D reference standard for the larger study.

Keith Martin’s, Ph.D, Arizona State University, Tempe, preliminary results investigating whether mushrooms can beneficially alter processes in the early stages of coronary vascular disease suggest that white button and crimini mushroom powder marginally but significantly lowers the key adhesion molecule studied. Dr. Martin’s ergothioneine research is anticipated to be reported in the Women’s Health magazine early in 2009.

John Roberts/Tara McHugh’s USDA/ARS, Western Regional Research Center, Albany, CA, vitamin D2 post harvest UVB treatment research was mentioned in ScienceNews for Kids, Dec. 2.

Dayong Wu’s, MD, Ph.D., research on mushrooms activating natural killer cells in micewas mentioned in an article on 5-minute immunity boosters Shape, January 2009. Dr. Wu anticipates beginning his research on mushroom supplementation and resistance to influenza infection in a mouse model early 2009.

Mushrooms and Health Global Initiative (MHGI) accepted Food Science Australia/CSIRO “Mushrooms and Health” scientific report evaluating the strength of the science linking mushrooms and health. The Initiative Team is developing a communications plan for use and distribution of the report to be announced in the Initiative’s February 2009 Bulletin.

Vitamin D Update:

The Mushroom Council tested the effectiveness of a number of new positioning statements highlighting the product’s Vitamin D content. Specifically, how appealing/motivating is the Vitamin D message, as well as its potential sales impact.

Accordingly, a total of 9 positioning statements were developed based on findings from previous research conducted by the Mushroom Council. While all of the positioning statements keyed on mushroom’s Vitamin D content, they each had a secondary message – ranging from taste, to versatility, to price, etc.

Three statements show some promise and will be further explored in focus groups in San Antonio, February 22 preceding the Council February 23 meeting. Click here to review this report and if you have any suggestions or questions you would like to see further explored, please forward your comments to the Council office.

Since Time magazine named vitamin D one of the “top 10 medical breakthroughs” of 2007, the vitamin D story continues to be an increasingly urgent health topic across America.

Ian Munro, Cantox Health Sciences International, Ontario, Canada, will provide strategic guidance and a due diligence safety evaluation on the use of UV light to enhance naturally occurring D2 levels in mushrooms. A due diligence report requires comprehensive analytical data characterizing any change in the composition of the mushrooms occurring under the intended use of UV light. Cantox will provide specific protocols outlining experimental procedures to generate this information to help determine if vitamin D2 mushrooms are substantially equivalent to their non-UV-exposed counterparts.

In 2008:

The American Medical Association, the nation’s largest physician organization, called on the Food and Drug Administration to re-examine the current Daily Reference Intake Value for vitamin D.

The American Academy of Pediatricians recommended children receive double the amount of vitamin.

Vitamin D was also the unofficial theme at the American Dietetic Association’s (ADA) Food and Nutrition Conference and Exhibit (FNCE) in several sessions and presentations as well as industry exhibits such as Dairy, Pepsico (Tropicana) and General Mills (Yoplait), which were working hard to showcase foods and beverages that could offer the “magic bullet” solution to vitamin D deficiency.

The Mushroom Council secured more than 850 media stories promoting mushrooms and vitamin D in 2008, making it the number one nutrient promoted for mushrooms.

Media, and ultimately consumers, will look for vitamin D solutions in 2009. The February issue of Good Housekeeping magazine named Dole’s vitamin D Portobello mushrooms as one of the “top 10 innovative products of 2009,” calling the new mushrooms one of the “breakthroughs that truly improves your life in ingenious ways.” This is the first time a food product has made the “Innovative Product Awards” in four years. The Mushroom Council is committed to promoting mushrooms and vitamin D in 2009 to further establish mushrooms as a “superfood” in value, taste, nutrition, satiety and versatility.

MARKETING SUMMARY

TOTAL IMPRESSIONS/PLACEMENTS TO DATE:

December impressions overview:

Program	December 2008 Impressions	Total Year Impressions	% of Annual Goal	% of Last Year Same Time Period
Consumer/Nutrition	51,107,516	745,494,078	186%	211%
Foodservice	700,390	6,729,559	249%	138%
Retail	0	2,385,879	0%	N/A

Mushrooms in the News:

Mushrooms were featured in a live interview on Boston’s local FOX news (WFXT-TV) in a “Feeling Fine in 2009” segment on January 5, which can be viewed here. Mushrooms’ vitamin D content and overall value were mentioned for viewers looking to stretch their dollar, while maintaining good health. The segment reached 31,000 Boston-area viewers and more than 97,000 people nationally via the clip on the Web site.

Mushrooms were highlighted on the New York local CBS news (W

CBS-TV), in the “Healthy Food Resolutions” segment on January 10, which can be viewed here. Mushrooms were featured in an omelet for smart breakfast ideas by Katherine Brooking, MS, RD, in partnership with the American Egg Board. Katherine highlighted that mushrooms are the only fruit or vegetable with natural vitamin D. The segment reached 58,000 New York-area viewers and more than 300,000 people nationally via the clip on the Web site.

The January issues of Prevention and Self magazines highlight Mushroom Council-funded research on the weight management benefits of swapping mushrooms for meat. Prevention states, “subbing mushrooms for beef is a simple way to lose weight.” To view the full Prevention article click here, and to view the full Self article click here.

Mushroom Council-funded research on the weight management of swapping mushrooms for meat was also highlighted in nine print and online placements in December, accounting for more than 14 million impressions in publications such as Medicine Net online and Seattle-Post Intelligencer online.

Mushrooms’ anti-cancer properties were highlighted in 18 placements, generating more than 22 million impressions in publications such as Men’s Health, The Seattle-Post Intelligencer online, Chicago Daily Herald online and Houston Chronicle online.

The Mushroom Council’s $560,000 commitment to breast and prostate cancer research received additional coverage in the Detroit News as a result of an announcement distributed by the Council.

In December, Mushroom Council placements represented an average of 47 percent of total mushroom news, which is above the norm of 25 percent or less during a period of reactive outreach. For a full media update click here.

In 2008, the Mushroom Council secured nearly 750 million media impressions, which is 186 percent of the annual goal. As additional 2008 placements continue to come in, this number may increase.

In December, mushroominfo.com experienced a 3 percent decrease in web traffic from November. This could be due to media outreach only being reactive in December and the drop in online advertising.

On the Foodservice front:

The Council’s participation in the 2007 IFEC conference is still paying dividends, as shown by last month’s foodservice media coverage. In the month of December, Council efforts netted eight placements in trade publications, garnering more than 700,000 impressions and bringing the total year impressions to more than 6.7 million (249% of annual goal). As a result, mushrooms continued to be a part of seafood and small plate stories and the Mushroom Council was reinforced as a resource for chef educators to access nutrition information for their culinary students.

The Mushroom Council is currently working with Moe’s Southwest Grill, a 400-unit burrito/Southwestern fast casual concept based in Atlanta, GA, to support the launch of a new “Cheesesteak Burrito” in March 2009. Council funding will be used to conduct a mobile marketing campaign reaching up to 500,000 Moe’s customers. This cutting edge campaign will send digital coupons via cell phone text message to customers who subscribe or opt into the program. The coupons are redeemed by showing the message screen (example shown) to the cashier. Similar campaigns have been run by Starbucks, Borders, and other national brands.

For an update on the status of the Council’s foodservice promotional pursuits, click here; to see new mushroom menu items for December click here.

On the Retail front:

The latest Retail Best Practice Report is called “Retail Best Practices Results: Assortment, Placement, Pricing & Promotion – 2008” and is available at http://mushroomcouncil.org/Retail/bestpractices/index.html. The report provides valuable information about retail best practices in the areas of assortment, placement, pricing and promotion.

Below is the November report of retail pounds sold by region.

Today is Friday, January 16, 2009. This cube contains data through 2008/11/23.
[All Geographies][All Products][All Forms][All Organic][All Pkg Sizes][All UPC/Codes][All Pkg Types][Last 4-13-26-52 Wks]Pounds
Pounds as values	Last 4 Wks, Curr Yr	Last 4 Wks % Chg, Yr-to-Yr	Last 13 Wks, Curr Yr	Last 13 Wks % Chg, Yr-to-Yr	Last 26 Wks, Curr Yr	Last 26 Wks % Chg, Yr-to-Yr	Last 52 Wks, Curr Yr	Last 52 Wks % Chg, Yr-to-Yr
California	1,903,616	-6.73%	5,941,292	0.10%	11,592,051	1.09%	24,153,781	2.45%
Great Lakes	1,888,837	-1.09%	6,179,416	-0.52%	12,939,013	4.94%	26,510,081	5.79%
Midsouth	1,253,182	-1.97%	3,961,849	-1.24%	7,881,646	0.95%	16,618,657	1.38%
Mountain	924,290	-9.05%	2,945,824	-4.36%	5,958,787	-3.18%	12,514,655	-1.51%
Northeast	3,322,185	-17.49%	10,266,486	-5.16%	20,039,021	-1.24%	42,931,735	1.58%
Pacific Northwest	685,542	-4.03%	2,115,687	-0.37%	4,247,697	1.39%	8,764,738	1.75%
Plains	882,957	0.51%	2,752,665	-1.82%	5,428,175	-3.50%	11,167,639	-5.12%
South Central	859,476	-5.51%	2,742,131	-8.02%	5,576,381	-5.61%	11,845,124	-4.14%
Southeast	2,263,711	-6.97%	6,559,269	-2.06%	12,549,365	-1.74%	26,030,081	-1.04%
Total U.S.	13,983,796	-8.05%	43,464,618	-2.70%	86,212,134	-0.38%	180,536,491	0.83%

For a more comprehensive retail report click here.