Monthly Shipping and Marketing Report | September 2021

Council Update

SAVE THE DATE

Annual Mushroom Industry Market Review via Zoom

Your input & participation is encouraged and appreciated – All Council representatives will be in attendance

Join us for the ALL MEMBER Annual Mushroom Industry Market Review taking place via Zoom on Wednesday, September 8, 2021, at:
• 12:30pm – 2:00pm Pacific
• 2:30pm – 4:00pm Central
• 3:30pm – 5:00pm Eastern

Register in advance:
https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_VlOAYUUqRxmEDzSe1tWlVw

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar

What is on the agenda this year?

What is the Value of the Industry Marketing Effort?

Every 5 years the USDA requires the Mushroom Council to engage an independent economist to provide growers a report on the return on their industry marketing investment. Dr. Timothy Richards, PhD Stanford and currently: Marvin and June Morrison Chair of Agribusiness; Co-Editor American Journal of Agricultural Economics; Co-Editor European Review of Agricultural Economics; Morrison School of Agribusiness; W. P. Carey School of Business; Arizona State University; will provide a brief, yet concise report of his findings.
In addition, you will also hear independent channel specialists Anne Marie Roerink (The Power of Produce) and Marie Molde of Datassential, one of the largest research firms in foodservice. They will present outlooks for mushrooms at retail and foodservice respectively.

And, Dr. Mark Lang, PhD. Dr. Lang has worked with the Mushroom Council for five years supporting our marketing strategy, research, and execution. When he is not helping us, he is a Marketing professor at the University of Tampa. Before academia, he worked in food marketing for 20 years including leading brand marketing at Publix Supermarkets for over 10 years.

Last, but not least, the marketing team will present highlights of the 2021 program to date and a look at 2022 activities to be further discussed by the Council at their September 9 (zoom) meeting.

As always, your Council representatives and staff will be available for a Q&A following the presentation. The value of the Council to the industry is strengthened by industry input and support; please attend and offer your point of view.

If you have any questions prior to the webinar, please email them to [email protected]

Open Positions on the Council (2022-2024 term):

The nomination package has been sent to the Secretary of Agriculture for appointments.

Region 2 (PA) – two open positions
Region 3 (CA) – one open position

Next Council Meeting:
September 9-10, 2021 – Zoom

Shipment Summary

To see current charts, click here.

The Month Ahead

PUBLIC RELATIONS & DIGITAL

Taking part in a nutrition media event taking place in September 26-28. Mushroom Council presence will include a 30-minute Feed Your Immune System presentation and lunch. Attendees include media RDs and freelance nutrition writers.
Distribution of Q3 Nutrition News email.
Planning for Retail Dietitians Business Alliance webinar in October.
September is Mushroom Month. Mushroom Council is celebrating by sharing the people and places that are helping make mushrooms trend through a digital campaign, “Explore Mushrooms!”
- Each week of the month will focus on a different region of the U.S. and follow a road map of activities, including:
  - ️ Sundays: New Region Kick-off
  - Mondays: Fungi Fun Facts
  - Tuesdays: Regional Recipes
  - ‍ Wednesdays: Restaurant Spotlights
  - ️ Thursdays: RD-Approved Regional Recipes
  - Fridays: Mushroom Trend Makers
  - Saturdays: Variety Spotlights
- Follow along and engage by accessing the campaign assets here
- We will be sending out weekly emails with graphics and content for those looking to share and engage.

SCHOOL NUTRITION

On our social media accounts, we will celebrate Mushroom Month with a different fact each week. To continue our conversation on sourcing mushrooms in schools, we will be promoting our monthly blog (and recipes) on Menu Planning that provides school nutrition professionals menu inspiration. Please encourage your school nutrition community to follow us on Facebook and Twitter to be notified of new recipes and resources!

FOODSERVICE

The Restaurant industry is still working hard to come back. One of the best things you can do is support a restaurant near you by ordering a mushroom dish. Whether you order in, carryout or takeout, everything helps. Check out your local restaurant. Also, look to the chains in your area. And go as often as you can.

Here are a few ideas for you:

If you have kids or just love video-type games, go to DAVE AND BUSTERS. They just launched a number of new mushroom dishes like their Mushroom Stout Burger and Philly French Dip.

For more entertaining, check out the NY Strip with Mushrooms and Bourbon Sauce at HARD ROCK CAFES.

NOODLES AND COMPANY always have new mushroom items on their menu. Order their Japanese Pan Noodles with Steak and Mushrooms or their Pesto Cavatappi with Chicken and Mushrooms.

If you are on the East Coast, FRIENDLYS has an A-1 Burger with mushrooms.

In the Mountain region, primarily Colorado, OLD CHICAGO PIZZA has introduced Da Meatball Shroom Detroit Syle Pizza.

Out West, don’t miss TOGOS Steak and Cheese Mushroom Melt. That sandwich was put on the menu for the 50^th Anniversary, and it looks delicious.

If you live in Washington DC (and Maryland or Northern Virginia), PLNTs are opening in Whole Foods and feature the Chckn Funguy Sandwich made with oyster mushrooms. Try out their new pop-up outdoor space in Georgetown with their food truck and picnic tables on the site of a historic gas station.

And for everyone, there are so many chains with great tasting Mushroom items:

One of the newest is SHAKE SHACK. Famous for their Portabella Sandwich and the Shake Stack with a burger patty topped with the cheese-stuffed portabella, they now have introduced a Buffalo Shroom Sandwich with a Buffalo-sauce portabella. What’s next—Nashville Hot Portabellas? You have to try this one.

And of course, JERSEY MIKE’S is still featuring its incredible Portabella and Swiss Sub. Get it as is. Get it with double mushrooms. But get it. You won’t be sorry. And if it is breakfast you crave, STARBUCKS is still doing very well with their Kale and Portabella Egg Bites. Perfect for a great start to your AM, great for Keto and you’ll see how mushrooms can take some neutral flavors and make them pop.

Highlights from August

PUBLIC RELATIONS & DIGITAL

Worked with Elaine Magee, MPH, RD on four new recipes to be featured on her Recipe Doctor blog as well as in Mushroom Council National Mushroom Month activities.
Shared helpful back-to-school recipes and kitchen tips for busy families, including One Blend, Four Ways, Lunchtime Makeover Tips and How to Microwave Mushrooms.

SCHOOL NUTRITION

To celebrate schools back in session, we sent a resource round up eblast. A Mushroom Sourcing Catalog was developed to help schools to start bringing Mushrooms in Schools along this blog. Wednesday, August 18th, we were part of a Back to School webinar sharing increases in mushrooms in schools purchases, recipes and techniques school districts use to encourage mushroom lovers, mushroom opportunities in child care settings, and resources for growers and distributors.

Metrics

Mushroom Channel

Blenditarian

Hashtags

Monthly Topline Report

Tracker Highlights – Period ending 7/11/2021

Spotlight – Notable and Newsworthy

Fresh mushroom retail sales neared 94 million dollars for the current 4-week period. The Northeast and Great Lakes regions drove 34% of total mushroom sales. Average selling price/lb. varied throughout the U.S., from $3.63/lb. in Southeast to $4.73/lb. in the West.
Coming off the sales surge of the pandemic in 2020, many mushroom segments saw softer dollar and volume sales for the 4-week period. However, Specialty mushrooms bucked the trend and saw an increase of +1% in dollars and +4% in volume vs. 2020. Compared to the pre-pandemic retail sales of 2019, all mushroom segments continued to show strong 2-year growth, driving a total category dollar increase of +13%

Total Mushrooms – 4 Weeks

The mushroom category saw a decline of -11.7% in dollar sales, while Total Produce was flat (+0.3%)
Mushroom category volume fell -11.9%, while the average price/lb. was $4.29/lb. (+0.2%)
All regions saw volume declines this period. The Southeast region saw the smallest decline at -7.8%
Conventional dollar sales decreased by -11.1%, while Organic dollars fell by -16.0%

*IRI/FreshLook Data provided by Fusion Marketing

Click Here for the Full Topline Report