June 2009 Industry News

In May, the Mushroom Council attended the Marketing Executives Group (MEG) conference, serving a sponsored snack of mushroom sliders, fried mushrooms and mushroom “cappuccino” soup. “The Value of Mushrooms” brochure made its debut at the conference, showcasing how mushrooms can help the foodservice industry with food costs. For copies of the brochure, visit the foodservice section of mushroominfo.com or contact the Mushroom Council at 408-432-7210.

SHIPMENT SUMMARY

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

	Mar-09	Mar-08	% change	YTD 09	YTD 08	% change
Total Shipments	62.36	67.04	-6.99	178.91	191.84	-6.74
Domestic Shipments	55.43	60.29	-8.06	157.73	169.77	-7.09
PA	32.23	33.27	-3.13	93.38	97.24	-3.96
CA	10.23	11.99	-14.68	28.67	31.89	-10.12
Rest of US	12.97	15.03	-13.69	35.68	40.64	-12.20
Imports	6.92	6.75	2.55	21.18	22.07	-4.01

* Please note that the Easter holiday was in March last year and April this year.

COUNCIL UPDATE

Ballots to fill the seats on the Council have been mailed out and must be postmarked by June 30th to be counted.

Mushroom producers and importers will vote on proposed change to the Mushroom, Promotion, Research, and Consumer Information Order to reapportion membership of the Mushroom Council to reflect shifts in domestic mushroom production. Another change to be voted on would add language to the powers and duties section of the order allowing the council to develop and propose good agricultural and handling practices for mushrooms. The referendum will be conducted via mail ballot by USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service. Ballots and voting instructions will be mailed to all known mushroom producers and importers by June 29, 2009. Any eligible producer and importer who does not receive a ballot by July 6, should contact Jeanette Palmer, the referendum agent at 888-720-9917. The referendum is scheduled for July 6-17, 2009.

Are you going Pink for National Breast Cancer Awareness month? The Mushroom Council is partnering with City of Hope and providing them with $50,000 to help support continued research on mushrooms and their possible link to breast cancer. If you have not already done so, please let us know if you will be participating in this promotion.

MARKETING SUMMARY

TOTAL IMPRESSIONS/PLACEMENTS TO DATE:
May impressions overview:

Program	May 2009 Impressions	% of May 2008 Impressions	Total Year Impressions to Date*	% of Annual Goal
Consumer/Nutrition	69,476,219**	150%	414,889,834	83%
Foodservice	1,884,085	116%	3,814,072	119%
Retail	122,377	37%	770,750	50%

*Note: total year impressions includes impression numbers from early June 2009
**Note: this includes impressions from the mushroom ads running in Times Square from May 1-
31. The numbers and percents provided in the above table are based off of this number.
Estimated audience reach is 1.5 million per day.

In May, the Mushroom Council had an average of 49 percent share of voice. While conducting proactive media outreach, we generally expect Mushroom Council coverage to represent between 33-75 percent of mushroom placements, according to average consumer product and commodity industry standards. Note that there are always external factors or industry forces that could change that metric.

Mushroom Share of Voice

Week Ending	Mushroom Council Generated Placements	% of Total Mushroom Coverage	Type of Outreach
May 8	15	65 percent	Proactive
May 15	4	36 percent	Proactive
May 22	3	21 percent	Proactive
May 31	6	67 percent	Proactive
Total	28	49 percent	Proactive

Mushrooms in the News:

In the June issue of Shape magazine, mushrooms were featured in the article titled, “25 Ways to Lighten up Your Lunch,” which offers tips on how to make a healthier burger. The first tip suggests adding sautéed mushrooms, noting that white button mushrooms are just as rich in antioxidants as more colorful veggies. This placement resulted in nearly 7 million impressions.

The Council’s recent partnership with California’s Agriculture in the Classroom resulted in a placement in the Fresno Bee for their seventh edition of “What’s Growin’ On.” The feature was created for children grades 3-8 and discussed the different mushroom varieties, how mushrooms grow and included fun mushroom activities to try at home. This placement resulted in more than 750,000 impressions. To view the full article, click here.

The Washington Post highlighted Keith Martin’s mushroom immunity research, noting that a variety of common mushrooms, such as white buttons and shiitakes, can help boost the immune system. To view the full article, click here. In May, mushrooms’ possible immunity boosting properties were highlighted in nine placements, generating nearly 20 million impressions.

To date, Mushroom Council’s PP2 recipes Grilled Philly Cheese Mushroom Sandwich and Mushroom Chips and Dip garnered nearly seven million impressions combined. The recipes have been featured in online and print publications, including the The Daily Journal, Atlantic County Record and Kenosha News.

On May 18, the Council’s “Mushrooms Every Day, Every Way Recipe Contest” ended. The contest concluded with 1,827 recipe entries and was featured in 57 publications, such as The Post Register, The Plain Dealer and Akron Beacon Journal,garnering nearly 37 million impressions.

In the May issue of Woman’s World, mushrooms were highlighted in the “Smart Ideas to Make You Healthier” column. The article notes that regular white mushrooms have more possible immunity-boosting antioxidants and nutrients than the exotic varieties. This placement garnered more than 5.5 million impressions.

Mushroom Council placements represented an average of 49 percent of total mushroom news, which is withinthe norm of 33 to 75 percent during a period of proactive outreach. To view all May placements, click here.

On the Retail Front:

In the May issue of The Packer, mushrooms are featured as a value generator, pointing to their steady sales, including organic mushrooms, despite the current economy. This placement resulted in 37,284 impressions. To view the full article, click here.

The Mushroom Best Practices Release, based on the Encore Associates 2009 Retail Best Practices study, was featured in The Packer’s Fresh Talk Blog in May. The article showcased mushrooms as a value generator for retailers – marketing fresh mushrooms correctly can pump an additional $44 million into the U.S. retail industry. This blog receives 4,000 unique visitors per month. To view the entire posting, click here.

The Produce News, cited mushrooms’ growth over last year and highlighting the mushroom best practices report. This placement resulted in 39, 240 impressions.To view this entire article, click here.

The Council developed the Q2 newsletter with a focus on “Summer Success with Mushrooms” and is working to distribute the next press release focused on mushrooms’ early spring success pointing to strong sales this summer. Both resources will soon be available to the industry.

For a more comprehensive retail report click here.

On the Foodservice Front:

In the May issue of Restaurant Hospitality, Chef Cindy Pawlcyn’s “Shiitake Mushroom and Goat Cheese Toasts” were featured on the front page of an article about appetizers and menu trends. This placement resulted in more than 350,000 impressions.

The Mushroom Council has already exceeded the annual impressions goal by 19 percent, and as a result of May’s placements, mushrooms continued to be a part of stories about cost control and unique sauces at independent restaurants while taking a place on permanent menus in the QSR segment.

In addition, the Mushroom Council hosted a Chef Distributor Event in Dallas on June 2 and secured 29 attendees, including guests from Sysco Food Services, Ben E. Keith Company, Southern Methodist University Catering, Boston’s Pizza Restaurants, Maggianos, Pizza Hut and more.

Overall, the attendees at the Chef Distributor Event were most interested in the nutritional information about mushrooms and requested more case studies, illustrating the value of mushrooms. Attendees were also receptive to the idea of adding mushrooms to make a menu item “premium,” using mushrooms as protein extenders.

For an update on the status of the Council’s foodservice promotional pursuits click here.