Home : Resources : Monthly Shipping Reports : 2008 July

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July 2008 Industry News

 

SHIPMENT SUMMARY

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

	Apr-08	Apr-07	% change		YTD 08	YTD 07	% change
Total Shipments	63.41	61.25	+3.53		255.60	250.82	+1.90
Domestic Shipments	56.10	54.81	+2.36		226.22	224.78	+.64
PA	32.49	32.11	+1.18		130.01	128.97	+.81
CA	11.04	9.51	+16.08		42.87	39.94	+7.34
Rest of US	12.58	13.18	-4.55		53.34	55.87	-4.53
Imports	7.31	6.44	+13.42		29.38	26.04	+12.81

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

COUNCIL UPDATE

• Next Council meeting: September 11 in Washington, D.C.

• The Council recently conducted focus groups in Chicago:
  • The following topics were explored among female mushroom users:
  • Produce shopping behaviors
  • Usage, knowledge, and perceived benefits of vitamins and nutrients (including vitamin D)
  • Reactions to vitamin D mushrooms, product packaging, and price sensitivity
  • Message testing (believability, relevance, confusion, etc.)
    Click here to access the written summary of these two groups or contact Cheryl for a DVD or VHS recording. 

• Last year, The Produce for Better Health Foundation launched the new brand, Fruits & Veggies-More Matters®, which replaces the 5 A Day program. Licensees are encouraged to transition to the Fruits & Veggies-More Matters logo as soon as possible and will be expected to phase out all 5 A Day The Color Way and 5 to 9 A Day logos and related health marketing messages by January 1, 2009. The Mushroom Council is a member of the Board of Directors of the Produce for Better Health Foundation. 

• New brochures are on the way. We have redesigned some of your favorite brochures and even have a brand new one on the way; click here to view them. The brochures will be ready around mid-August and include:
  • Portabellas Nature’s Hidden Treasure
  • Mushroom Sandwiches Nature’s Hidden Treasure
  • Specialty Mushrooms Nature’s Hidden Treasure
  • A Guide to Mushroom Nutrition
  • Fresh Mushrooms Nature’s Hidden Treasure recipes
  • Easy Recipes for Everyday Meals – 2007 collection

• New postings to www.mushroomcouncil.org include:
  • E-mazing News About Mushrooms – Summer 2008 Nutrition Newsletter
  • The Savory Connection – 2008 Qtr 2 Foodservice Newsletter

 

MARKETING SUMMARY

Program	June 2008 Impressions	Total Year Impressions	% of Annual Goal	% of Last Year Same Time Period
Consumer/Nutrition	28,417,088	317,228,217	127%	217%
Foodservice	1,406,359	3,736,830	138%	244%
Retail	37,638	663,992	57%	96%

 

 

 

 

 

• Vitamin D was the number one nutrient promoted in the month of June
  • 9 placements, 24% of June placements

• There were a total of 16 superfood placements in June, including Shape, Men’s Health and Fit Yoga

• In June, Mushroom Council placements represented 69 percent of total mushroom news, which is within the norm of 33 to 75 percent during a period of proactive outreach. Mushrooms’ vitamin D availability was highlighted in The New York Post’s article, “Marvelous Mushrooms,” and The Oklahoman, Arizona Republic, and Kansas City Star all featured mushrooms’ versatility, umami, nutrition and low calorie content. Mushroom Council recipes were featured in The Pittsburgh Tribune and The Cleveland Plain Dealer.

• The July issue of ADA Times, a bi-monthly magazine sent to more than 68,000 American Dietetic Association members, featured mushrooms in the “Love Food” section. The Mushroom Council provided the editor information for the article which highlighted information about mushrooms and vitamin D, Dr. Cheskin’s research, immunity, cancer protection, selenium and several other messages about mushroom’s nutritional attributes and preparation and storage tips. The piece also features a mushroom recipe, “Barley and Mushroom Salad.”

• Web traffic update: In May, there was a slight increase in traffic to both mushroom Web sites. Mushroominfo.com had a 7 percent increase and mushroomcouncil.org had a 15 percent increase of visitors. This steady and consistent increase in traffic on mushroominfo.com may be attributed to the foodservice banner ads or the three Mushroom Council placements that ran at the beginning of the month in the Washington Post, Prevention and Best Life magazine. To see a detailed review of the Council’s comprehensive web traffic report click here.

 

• The Council sponsored the Veal Board’s celebrity chef media event on June 25-26. As a result of sponsorship, fresh mushrooms (white, crimini, Portabella, oyster, and maitake) were included in each chef’s “mystery basket” and made a mandatory part of each chef’s dishes. In the next 6-8 weeks, tested and standardized recipes with photos will be available on the Mushroom Council website. Click here to view the recap report from the event, which includes a summary of results from the last 3 years of Council participation. Click here to access recipes and photography from not only past promotions, but the full library of recipes and photography available to you online. 

• The Mushroom Council’s trade PR program resulted in a placement in Nation’s Restaurant News last month, delivering the message that mushrooms can make a dish more appealing to consumers and are an important part of the menu. Virtually every interview in the feature article was secured by the team and the “Balsamic Caramel Beef Cubes with Shiitake Mushrooms” photo was included as well; a direct result of the relationships built through the IFEC conference, chef outreach and Veal event sponsorships. Click here to view placement. 

• The Council is currently negotiating a system-wide “mushroom festival” promotion with Morrison Management Specialists, a contract management subsidiary of Compass Group with 800 healthcare and senior dining accounts in 41 states. Also in the works is an opportunity to provide marketing support for an upcoming Limited Time Offer with Burger King, slated for the fall of 2008. 

• For more on the status of the Council’s foodservice promotional pursuits click here; to see new mushroom menu items for June click here. 

 

• The Council sent a second announcement in July for Weight Watchers’ Pick of the Season kick-off to retailers and the trade press. Placements are scheduled to run in The Packer, Supermarket News Progressive Grocer and Grocery Headquarters. The announcement can be found on our Web site www.mushroomcouncil.org under the “resources” tab. Feel free to send the release to your own customers as well. Click here to see the Trade Release. 

• Supermarket sales data as reported by IRI shows that pounds sold increased by over 2% in May 2008 vs. the same month last year, consistent with reports that consumers are shifting from restaurants back to the home. 52 week pounds sales are flat, as the price of mushrooms, as well as all food, continues to climb. Supermarket sales data as reported by IRI was not available at the time of this report. To run your own report of sales by region, please visit the following website http://freshview.freshlookmarketing.com/cognos.