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MERCHANDISING MUSHROOMS
GETTING MORE FROM SPORES IN STORES
Umami taste sensation, coupled with intrinsic health attributes, helps move products and profits.
W BY MATT OGG
hether it be spreading the health message or intro- ducing consumers to new varieties and preparations, opportunities abound for
retailers to put the spotlight on mushrooms, just as the versatile fungi increasingly find their way to the center of the plate.
They may be one of the more expensive and perishable items in produce departments, but with the right merchandising approach, mushrooms have enormous potential to lift sales as consumers get hooked on their diverse umami flavors and flexible range of uses.
Most vegetables will have some healthy traits, but mushrooms have the advantage of providing some key nutrients consumers will
lose if they give up meat.
The broad shift toward vegan, vegetarian
and flexitarian diets is hard to ignore, putting mushroom growers in an enviable position compared to many of their peers in fresh produce. And that’s not even considering their richness of flavor and texture pushing all the right buttons for demand.
PHOTO COURTESY OF TO-JO MUSHROOMS
“There are a lot of good trends that are affecting mushrooms right now,” says Kevin Delaney, vice president of sales and marketing at To-Jo Mushrooms in Avondale, PA. “There’s an increasing amount of consumers who are looking for plant-based diets; mush- rooms are a very good option for them because of how much flavor and versatility they can provide, as well as the health aspect, of course.”
Mike O’Brien, vice president of sales and marketing at Monterey Mushrooms in Watsonville, CA, says nutrition education is a great opportunity for both retailers and suppliers.
“They can grow sales by educating their valuable customers,” he says. “In retail, one of the larger marketing initiatives for Monterey Mushrooms has been promoting the health benefits within the category.”
O’Brien notes mushrooms are the only non-animal food source of vitamin D (which also comes from sunlight) for people who exclude meat from their diets, while they are also fat-free, cholesterol-free, gluten-free, very low in sodium and provide important nutri-
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