Monthly Shipping Report | December 2010

SHIPMENT SUMMARY

COUNCIL UPDATE

• Exemption applications for 2011 are due to the Council by December 31st. If you will be an exempt grower in 2011, please complete an application and send it into the Council office to receive an exemption number. The forms can be found on our website; click here to go to the applications.

• The three positions on the Council that are open beginning January 1, 2011 have been filled. The Secretary of Agriculture has appointed: Fletcher Street – Region 1; Tony D’Amico – Region 2; and Joe Caldwell – Region 3.

• The Council will hold its next meeting of the Council on February 17, 2011 beginning at 9am in New Orleans. If you plan on attending this meeting, please let Cheryl know so we can accommodate you.

• The 21st North American Mushroom Conference & Expo is being held at the Roosevelt Hotel in New Orleans from February 17-19, 2011. For more information contact the American Mushroom Institute at 202-842-4344 or ami@mwmlaw.com.

MARKETING SUMMARY

            * This does not include mushroom recipe coverage that is not Council-generated.

October 2010 Sales

Mushrooms in the News and Online:

• In November, the Council continued gathering entries for the Mushrooms on the Menu social media contest, which aims to recognize the most eye-catching and delicious mushroom dishes at restaurants across the country. Twitter followers, Facebook followers and Mushroom Channel readers were encouraged to submit a photo of a mushroom dish they’ve ordered in a restaurant for the chance to win cash. Voting on the Mushroom Channel will open December 13 and end December 17.

• To view all November placements, click here.

• The Council increased its Twitter followers and Facebook “likes” (formerly known as “fans”) to 2,425 total to date, showing a continuous rise in followers each month and the benefits of online contests to procure audience engagement.

• In 2011, the Council will be partnering with Taste of Home for the third year.  The Council began preparations for sponsorship of the 2011 Spring Cooking Schools this month with the development of recipes, key messages, a radio tagline, a survey question and a press release. The Cooking School schedule and recipe contest details are forthcoming.

Nutrition News:

• On November 30, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) released its highly anticipated 24-month review on Dietary Reference Intakes for Calcium and Vitamin D. In addition to validating the importance of vitamin D in promoting bone health, the committee set the recommended intake level at 600 IU. This is the first time the IOM has set a recommended intake level for vitamin D, and the established amount, 600 IU, is triple the level that was previously considered adequate for most adults in 1997.

• The most relevant takeaway for the industry is that Americans can meet their vitamin D requirements through a conscientious diet that includes mushrooms (because all mushrooms are a source of vitamin D). This is the message that the Council promoted in its press release, and one that will be promoted in outreach to both media and influencers to continue to forge the association between mushrooms and vitamin D.

• In a report on the dietary applications of the IOM findings, USA Today compiled expert recommendations on ways consumers can build their diet to achieve 600 IU per day. Dawn Jackson Blatner, a nutrition expert quoted in the story, recommends mushrooms exposed to ultraviolet light on her menu to “get the D you need.” Dawn learned about mushrooms’ vitamin D content when the Council met with her in person at the American Dietetic Association meeting in November.

• To date, mushrooms have been associated with vitamin D in more than 40 articles, generating a reach of more than 17.8 million impressions. In addition to the USA Today piece, notable coverage includes broadcast news networks such as CNN, ABC and FOX; and major online/health portals like WebMD, Fit Sugar and LATimes.com. Media outreach will continue in December to prepare editors for upcoming health stories for the New Year.

• The Council showcased the nutritional benefits of mushrooms at the American Dietetic Association’s annual Food & Nutrition Conference & Expo (FNCE) in Boston, MA from November 7-9. Through its booth presence and one-on-one meetings, the Council conversed with key industry leaders and respected health professionals. At the booth, conversation centered on mushrooms’ nutrient profile, specifically focusing on vitamin D and breast cancer research. Dr. Holick appeared at the booth on the first day of the conference following his presentation at the session, “Vitamin D: Connecting Science to Health.” In addition, the Council’s “Wall of Pink” was recreated for attendees to pay tribute to loved ones who have faced breast cancer by signing pink tills with inspirational messages. The Council also individually met with 15 nutrition influencers across multiple target areas including influencers in food, nutrition, research, media, foodservice and retail practice areas. As a result of FNCE, the Council expanded its health professional database by 780 unique contacts, which now totals more than 2,700 contacts. Check out the Council’s FNCE blog post to learn more details about this event.

On the Retail and Foodservice Front: 

• To address this year’s peak demand season for mushrooms, the Council distributed a discussion guide with sales data to the industry sales ambassadors to inform conversations with their customers. As a follow-up to the memo, the Council held a series of individual calls with industry members and hosted an industry-wide conference call to gather feedback and reiterate peak demand messaging. The Council will take key learnings from this year’s activities to build a proactive communications plan to address peak demand in 2011. If you did not receive the memo or wish to discuss further with the Council, please contact Erin Buelt at 312-240-3154 or erin.buelt@edelman.com. 

• Trade media relations included a cause marketing cover story in Produce Retailer around the Council’s pink promotion at retail. Additionally, Chef Cindy Pawlcyn’s, of Cindy’s Backstreet Kitchen, mini duck burger with shiitake mushroom ketchup was featured in the November issue of Restaurant Hospitality. The Council’s Smoky Portabella Satay recipe was featured in a November edition of Food Management’s “New’s Links” e-newsletter. These combined placements resulted in 380,894 impressions for the month of November.

• The Council pursues editorial opportunities on an ongoing basis to promote mushrooms with various trade publications. Please share with us any news or information from your region for the following upcoming opportunities:
  • The Packer – Mushroom Marketing; deadline is December 24, 2010
  • Food Technology – Neutraceuticals: Whole Food Nutrition – Vegetables; deadline is December 15, 2010

• The Council attended the annual International Foodservice Editorial Council conference in New Orleans, LA from November 8-11. Attendance at this conference provided the opportunity to build meaningful relationships with editors, reporters, chefs and other foodservice industry publicists representing operators, chefs and commodity groups. At the conference, the Council:
  • Shared mushroom messages with 14 publications including FoodService Director, who discussed details of a mushroom widget for their revamped website;
  • Showcased two mushroom dishes developed by local New Orleans chef Tenney Flynn of GW Finn’s;
  • Networked with four additional New Orleans chefs and obtained contact information to position them as operator leads around their mushroom menu items, and to potentially integrate them into sell sheets, recipe photography, as spokespeople, etc.;
  • Secured a promotion with Black Angus around their Crispy Portabellas that are featured on their menu through February; and,
  • Networked with representatives of Chefs/Operators in Texas who focus on Latin cuisine.

• In November, the Council sponsored the Culinary Institute of America’s Worlds of Flavor event in Napa Valley. The theme of this year’s conference was Foods and Culture of Japan. This conference provided a key opportunity to meet with and educate foodservice operators on the versatility, taste and health benefits of mushrooms, particularly as part of Asian cuisine. The Council worked with a Japanese chef to showcase varieties other than shiitake that are cultivated and domestic. The annual event attracted more than 850 attendees and at least 18 universities. The Council used this opportunity to network and discuss potential partnership opportunities with Applebee’s, Bertucci’s, Harvard, Boston College, Stanford and Rhode Island School of Design. Visit the Mushroom Channel blog to see more photos.

• To see November Mushroom Chain items, click here.

For larger image, click here.

Reminder – Industry tools available:

• The Foodservice section of the website has been updated to include the Latin Sales Kit and current Asian sales materials. Use these materials with your foodservice customers to demonstrate the importance of mushrooms on the menu:
  • A sell sheet that details the importance of mushrooms in Mexican heritage and why they remain just as prevalent in Latin cuisine today
  • A nutritional/cost comparison document that shows the value of substituting mushrooms for meat
  • New Latin recipes from the Culinary Institute of America and a link to all Latin recipes on MushroomInfo.com
  • An Asian sell sheet that demonstrates the variety of mushrooms used in Asian cuisine

• The new consumer brochure, “Make room for Mushrooms,” is a new tool for your retail customers to use in point-of-sale displays. The brochure provides a comprehensive mushroom summary, arming consumers with everything they need to know, including: cleaning/storing tips, health benefits, cooking techniques, meal ideas and information on varieties. Contact the Council at (408) 432-7210 or Cheryl@mushroomcouncil.org to order copies to share with consumers, distribute to retailers and display at events. 

• The PP3 retail newsletter was distributed on September 14, offering ideas for promotional activities such as educating consumers about mushrooms’ nutritional benefits. Share the newsletter with your customers so they can learn more about how these initiatives can drive fresh mushroom sales.

• The summer issue of the Council’s “News About Mushrooms” e-newsletter (distributed to approximately 2,000 nutrition influencers on August 5) is available for your use with health influencers or customers interested in health/nutrition news. The newsletter discussed the importance of vitamin D and umami. Share the newsletter with your customers so they can learn more about how these initiatives can drive fresh mushroom sales.