Monthly Shipping Report | January 2011

2011 marks the third year of the Council’s continued partnership with Taste of Home. Through a 2011 Spring Cooking Schools sponsorship, mushrooms will be featured in live cooking demonstrations across 140 cooking school events nationwide. Taste of Home has selected the Cheesy Mushroom Dip for the demos, a recipe garnered from the Council’s 2010 Mushroom Masters blogger photo/recipe contest. In addition to Cooking School participation, the Council is hosting the annual “Mushrooms Every Day, Every Way” recipe contest and developing advertising content that Taste of Home will run in print and online to promote the competition. Detailed information about the Cooking School schedule and recipe contest is forthcoming.

SHIPMENT SUMMARY

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

Current Charts	Oct-10	Oct-09	% change	YTD 10	YTD 09	% change
Total Shipments	61.79	58.47	5.67	629.91	598.88	5.18
Domestic Shipments	54.63	52.00	5.06	552.60	528.56	4.55
PA	33.28	31.52	5.59	337.87	319.88	5.63
CA	9.86	9.23	6.91	96.15	92.37	4.08
Rest of US	11.49	11.26	2.07	118.58	116.30	1.96
Imports	7.16	6.47	10.61	77.31	70.21	10.11

COUNCIL UPDATE

Regions 1, 2 & 4 each have a position opening up on the Council with 3 year terms beginning January 1, 2012. Request for nominations will be mailed on Feb 1 to all producers who produce on average 500,000 pounds per year and are not exempt and to those importers who import on average 500,000 pounds per year for fresh use. Please be sure to nominate someone in your region. Nominations are due to the Council office by May 2nd.

Exemption applications for 2011 are due to the Council by December 31st. If you will be an exempt producer 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. If an exemption certificate has not been issued to a producer, the producer is responsible for paying assessments until the certificate is obtained from the Council office.

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. An industry roundtable discussion will be held after the Council meeting in New Orleans from 2:00 – 4:00pm. Participation can be in person or via conference call. More information to follow.

MARKETING SUMMARY

TOTAL IMPRESSIONS/PLACEMENTS TO DATE:

December impressions overview:

Program	December 2010 Impressions	% of December 2009 Impressions	Total Year Impressions to Date	% of Annual Goal
Consumer/Nutrition	35,588,561	46%	707,465,117	129%
Foodservice	0	0%	5,015,312	132%
Retail	14,690	100%	2,424,851	131%

*Coverage tracking methods regarding impressions and metrics are under continuous review

to ensure accuracy and industry best practices, and may vary from year to year causing

fluctuations in year-over-year comparisons.

In December, the Mushroom Council averaged a 46 percent share of voice. December media outreach was both proactive and reactive. Proactive outreach occurred at the beginning of the month with the release of the IOM report, while reactive outreach ensued throughout the holidays. 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. During reactive periods, we generally expect Mushroom Council coverage to represent between 25 percent or less of mushroom placements. Note that there are always external factors or industry forces that could change these metrics.

Week Ending	Mushroom Council Generated Placements	% of Total Mushroom Coverage*	Type of Outreach
December 4	11	79	Proactive
December 11	4	29	Proactive
December 18	4	44	Proactive
December 25	2	25	Reactive
December 31	3	43	Reactive
Total	24	46 percent	Reactive

*Share of Voice signifies the number of Mushroom Council articles generated compared to

the total number of general mushroom-focused news articles. This only includes articles or

articles with recipes. It does not include recipes that are not accompanied by editorial

commentary, as more and more media build out recipe databases on their websites.

November 2010 Sales

According to the report from FreshLook Marketing for the period ending December 5, 2010, fresh mushroom tonnage increased by 1.5% when compared to pounds sold last year. This is considerable growth considering last year’s tonnage for this time period increased by nearly ten percent. This data demonstrates continued growth for fresh mushrooms.

Mushrooms sales increased by 1.9%. Inflation significantly fluctuated across regions with some areas, such as California, experiencing deflation and other areas, such as the Northeast, experiencing as much as 7 % inflation. National mushroom price inflation averaged at 0.4%.

Mushrooms in the News and Online:

As a new year approached, so did discussion of new resolutions, many of which center on slimming down for better health. National media highlights mushrooms as a way to help reach those resolutions to lose or manage weight.

A segment on the “Dr. Oz” show entitled, “Six Tastes of Life,” highlighted mushrooms in a weight management tip from guest Dr. Deepak Chopra. According to Chopra, food should be consumed according to flavor categories and the pungent, bitter and astringent categories are most influential in weight loss and metabolism. Of mushrooms, Dr. Chopra says, “Astringent is a very interesting taste: it puckers the mouth a little, it will dry the mouth a little bit. For instance, mushrooms, figs and green tea. ”

SHAPE Other national coverage touted a variety of the health benefits found in mushrooms. For example, the December issue of Shape magazine called out mushrooms in a feature on healthier holiday eating, noting B vitamins and selenium in particular. Furthermore, recent Council spokesperson and registered dietitian Jackie Newgent highlighted mushrooms as the only fruit or vegetable to contain vitamin D in the “Winter Whites” article she authored for Kiwi magazine.

A USA Today article penned by Nanci Hellmich recommends using mushrooms as a partial meat replacement to reduce calories. The article, “How many calories is what counts” (1/5), is a how-to for consumers to manage their calorie intake. Mushrooms are mentioned in an expert tip section, delivered by Jessie Price, the deputy food editor of Eating Well magazine. Mushrooms stand out as the only food tip, in a collection of general cooking suggestions: “Try mushrooms. Cut calories in recipes that use ground beef by replacing some of the beef with chopped mushrooms. The mushrooms’ flavor complements the meat, but the dish will have far fewer calories.”

To view all December placements, click here.

Winners from the Mushrooms on the Menu social media contest were selected by way of a public vote. The contest called for fan photos of the most eye-catching and delicious mushrooms dishes at restaurants across the country. This month, Facebook and Twitter fans were able to vote for their favorite photo/dish via the Mushroom Channel blog. A mushroom burger from Chicago’s Rockit Bar & Grill was selected as the winner.

From December 27 to 30, the Council advertised on Facebook to help drive traffic to the Mushroom Channel fan page. The ad highlighted a photo of the Mushroom Taco Mac recipe as an example of the Council’s robust recipe offerings, and shared select nutrition information. Over the course of the four day campaign, the Mushroom Channel Facebook page earned more than 300 new fans.

On the Nutrition Front:

The winter “News About Mushrooms” nutrition e-newsletter was distributed on January 5 to approximately 2,740 healthcare professionals. This issue highlighted findings from the Institute of Medicine report on vitamin D and calcium; detailed the Council’s collaboration with food bloggers; and offered a brief overview on the sodium environment. The newsletter had an open rate of 25.2 percent; well above industry standards (10-12.5 percent). Approximately 91 percent of those who opened the e-mail clicked through to read the full newsletter. Of note, Council friend and nutrition expert Dave Grotto re-tweeted the newsletter link to his fan base, exposing “News About Mushrooms” to an additional 2,438 fans. The next nutrition newsletter is scheduled for distribution in summer 2011. Share the newsletter with your customers so they can learn more about how mushrooms’ role in the nutrition landscape can drive sales.

The 2010 USDA Dietary Guidelines (DGs) are expected to be released in early 2011. Earlier in 2010, the Council submitted public comments to the DG advisory committee for consideration in the development of its recommendation. Based on a report issued by the advisory committee, the Council expects the DGs will address two relevant areas of interest: sodium reduction and a continued emphasis on vegetable consumption. As such, the Council has developed a supportive media statement carving out the role that mushrooms can play in helping Americans meet the new recommendations. Subsequent media outreach will commence upon the release of the guidelines in the coming weeks.

Last November, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) released the findings of its 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 from 1997 that was previously considered adequate for most adults.1,2

1IOM (Institute of Medicine). 2010. Dietary Reference Intakes for Calcium and Vitamin D.

Washington, DC, National Academies Press.

2IOM (Institute of Medicine). 1997. Dietary Reference Intakes for Calcium, Phosphorus,

Magnesium, Vitamin D, and Fluoride. Washington, DC, National Academy Press.

On the Retail and Foodservice Front:

Given the importance of the college/university segment to the mushroom industry, the Council created a College Sales Kit, now available to download from the Foodservice section of MushroomCouncil.org. The materials included are as follows, and were presented during an industry-wide Webinar on January 18, 2011.

To see December Mushroom Chain items, click here.

This year, the Council will provide holiday tip sheets to promote mushrooms around busy foodservice holidays. The Valentine’s Day tip sheet includes details on mushrooms’ nutritional benefits and appropriate mushroom recipes to help chefs plan their menus. To access this tip sheet, click here.

The PP4 retail newsletter, The Mushroom Marketplace, was distributed on December 13, offering retailers a number of reasons to leverage mushroom sales as they currently lead the produce pack. The newsletter achieved an open rate of 27 percent and a click-through rate of 6 percent. These figures are in line with industry standards for newsletters of this nature. Print and share the newsletter with your customers so they can learn more about how these initiatives can drive fresh mushroom sales.

The Council conducted its second retail photo shoot in December, which was held at Mariano’s Fresh Market in Arlington Heights, IL. The photos will be available to the industry and used in retail newsletters and Council collateral, as well as positioned for media opportunities. Shots included showcase the value add mushrooms bring to basket size, proper cold chain management techniques, best practices for retail displays, the pink promotion, mushrooms as a secondary display with beef, and mushrooms featured at a demo counter with the new consumer brochure.

Mushrooms were featured in The Packer on December 8. The article, “Mushroom supplies to stay tight through holidays,” addressed the increased demand for mushrooms coupled with the busy holiday season. Highlights include contributions from industry members and references to the strong movement of mushrooms to help set an annual shipment record, which is currently up by 4.5 percent.

Click here for the most recent 4 week Top Line report. For larger image, click here.

Reminder – New 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:

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.

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Monthly Shipping Report | January 2011

SHIPMENT SUMMARY

Mushroom Council

Forms Commonly Used by the Mushroom Industry

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