Mushrooms are having their moment in the sun, as consumers have gravitated to the fungi amid increasing interest in natural health and wellness solutions.
They are gluten-free, fat-free, and have zero cholesterol, and at the same time include several vitamins and minerals, including the antioxidants ergothioneine and selenium, minerals that aid the immune system and protect cells from damage that might lead to disease, according to The Mushroom Council.
Mushrooms are turning up as meat replacements in the form of jerky and other products, and in functional beverages and even gummies, said Anne-Marie Roerink, founder and principal at 210 Analytics, which conducts research for The Mushroom Council. Retailers are capitalizing on this surge in consumer interest with more expansive displays and innovative merchandising efforts that offer both visual appeal and education about various mushroom varieties.
“Mushrooms are on just about every trend list in foodservice and retail, and have been for several years now,” said Roerink. “Bringing that hip factor to life has inspired all sorts of fun merchandising.”
H-E-B’s Central Market, for example, has “mini mushroom farm” displays where it grows exotic varieties that are offered for sale in the store, she said. Other retailers have been displaying exotic mushrooms growing on logs in the produce department.
“In-store growing is educational, and that’s another reason why I think we’re seeing these kinds of innovative merchandising efforts,” said Roerink.
These types of displays also add an element of theater at a time when prepacked mushrooms have largely displaced bulk merchandising, she said, noting that 95 percent of mushrooms are now sold prepackaged.
Mushroom sales totaled $1.3 billion in 2021, making them the 7th largest segment within vegetables, according to IRI. They have also experienced less price inflation than other categories, with an increase of 1.9 percent in 2021, compared with 7.1 percent for produce overall.
Sales of mushrooms also tend to be relatively stable year-round — while sales tend to rise in the colder months when consumers are using them in holiday dishes and in soups and stews, they are also popular in the summer for grilling and in salads, Roerink said.
Although white button mushrooms are the most popular, accounting for 52.4 percent of mushroom dollar sales, cremini mushrooms (known as baby bellas) are gaining share, reaching 29.9 percent of sales in 2021, compared with 22.4 percent in 2016, she said, citing data from IRI.
Small varieties, such as shiitake (up 3.9 percent in 2021), oyster (up 10.9 percent), and chanterelle (up 46.3 percent) have been showing strong growth. Sales of many specialty varieties such as enoki, shiitake, maitake and others, tend to bounce up and down in part due to availability, Roerink explained.
Retailers are driving sales with larger pack sizes as well as with an increased emphasis on premium, specialty varieties, she said.
Roerink also cited innovations in mushroom mixes, such as combining oyster, cremini, and shiitake varieties, for example, and in introducing consumers to new varieties such as maitake, king oyster, and others.
“It’s often specialty retailers who cater to the foodies who are first in line here,” she said.
She cited as an example a Lunds & Byerly’s store in Minneapolis where the retailer featured an attractive display of different mushroom varieties, along with consumer education about taste and texture, and some recipe ideas.
Value-added mushrooms are another area of retail innovation, Roerink said.
“We have been seeing stuffed mushrooms for several years now, but we’re seeing new flavors,” she said, citing some stuffed mushrooms that are merchandised as “veggie pizzas” and stuffed portabellas displayed in the meat department as a plant-based alternative.
Shredded mushrooms are also being used to create a plant-based alternative to pulled pork, for example. Mushrooms have also been used for some time as an additive to ground beef or other grinds to add taste and nutrition and to stretch the value.
Mushrooms also appear to be gaining ground in foodservice, Roerink said, citing as an example the success of the Grilled Portabella and Swiss Sub at sandwich chain Jersey Mike’s, which was recently named the best healthy fast-food sandwich in the 2022 Eat This, Not That! Food Awards.
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