Monthly Shipping and Marketing Report | February 2021

Council Update

REMINDER

The Council office has moved! Below is our new contact information. Reports & payments still go to the lockbox.

Mushroom Council
200 NE Missouri Rd, Ste 200
Lee’s Summit, MO 64086
(816) 251-4512

Next Council Meeting:
Scheduled as a Zoom meeting on February 18, 2021

Exemption Applications:
The exemption applications for the 2021 calendar year have been mailed to those who are currently exempt. If you do not receive an application, please email [email protected]

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

A call for nominations will be sent on or about February 1, 2021 for three open positions on the Council for the 2022-2024 term.

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

Mushroom growers have ideas, skills, experiences and perspectives that would benefit the industry; be a voice for your industry by becoming part of the Council.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Mushroom Council encourages all eligible producers, including women, minorities and individuals with disabilities to participate and seek nomination.

Shipment Summary

To see current charts, click here.

The Month Ahead

DIGITAL

• The “Feed Your Immune System” campaign kicks off in February.
  • Share the campaign landing page and information found on the page: https://www.mushroomcouncil.com/feed-your-immune-system/
  • Create and share content on your social media channels, website and/or blogs using the campaign assets:
    • Sample Content
    • Campaign Graphics
    • Recipes

SCHOOL NUTRITION

• In February, we will promote the Layers of Flavor culinary training and the importance of knife skills with a blog post and ad in the SNA’s SN Express online newsletter. We will continue to promote the Feed Your Immune System campaign through Facebook and Twitter. We are also launching a label maker giveaway with the School Nutrition Services Dietetic Practice Group (800+ members) to reach school nutrition dietitians and gather school foodservice recipes featuring fresh mushrooms. The recipes we gather will be posted on our website in March.

Highlights from January

PUBLIC RELATIONS

• Mushrooms were named as the produce item that is “going to be everywhere in 2021” by Registered Dietitian Nora Minno’s trends segment on The TODAY Show. Watch the segment and learn more here. Additionally, mushrooms were featured in more trends articles, including:
  • All The New Food And Drink You Can Look Forward To In 2021 – Huffington Post
  • Top 5 Health Trends of 2021 – U.S. News & World Report
  • Winsight Live: Masks, Diversity and Food Trends – Winsight Grocery Business
  • 21 Must-Try Produce Items in 2021 – The Produce Moms
  • 2021 Wellness Trends – Elevays
• The Council’s campaigns and activities were covered by the trades throughout the month.
  • Discover how mushrooms fit into the new dietary guidelines in Perishable News, The Produce News and The Packer.
  • Perishable News, Produce Blue Book, The Packer and FreshPlaza shared details on the Feed Your Immune System campaign.

DIGITAL

• The Council is working with influencers to share nutritious mushroom recipes and nutritional benefits as part of the Feed Your Immune System campaign. View and engage with posts from the first wave of influencers:
  • katherinelaine_cn
    • https://www.instagram.com/p/CJ_8FkTF1A0/
    • https://www.facebook.com/Thepantrymakeover/posts/469113464432950
  • jennlabfit
    • https://jennlabfit.com/2021/01/14/lasagna-stuffed-portabella-mushrooms/
    • https://www.instagram.com/p/CJ_0zdppyru/
    • https://www.facebook.com/jennlabfit/posts/520070572274707
  • ironqueenfitness
    • https://www.instagram.com/p/CKCRzszjkCu/
  • ashleighamoroso
    • https://www.instagram.com/p/CKFFnBIBFbc/
    • https://www.facebook.com/ashleighamorosophotography/?view_public_for=836025649745632

SCHOOL NUTRITION

• In January, Mushrooms in Schools launched an immunity-themed web page with school-friendly immunity resources, including a free printable kid’s activity page, which we encourage you to share with consumers and sales teams. We also published a blog post on mushroom consumer trends and how mushrooms can be incorporated into school meal menus to capitalize on these trends. 

Metrics

Mushroom Channel

Blenditarian

Hashtags

Monthly Topline Report

Tracker Highlights – Period ending 11/01/2020

• Download the Highlights (4 & 52 Weeks) Report
• Download the Graphic Highlights Report

Spotlight – Notable and Newsworthy

• In the 4 weeks – All mushroom varieties drove increases in dollars and volume
• In the 52 weeks – Sustained growth propels 52-week sales in all regions

• Mushroom category dollar sales increased +14.9%, nearly twice as high as total produce this period
• Dollar growth was driven by volume (+12.4%) and average price/lb. (+2.3%)
• All regions experienced dollar sales growth, led by Northeast (+20.8%)
  • Northeast saw the highest incremental sales increase at +$3.7M
  • Nearly all markets showed double-digit dollar gains, led by Albany at +30.1%
• Conventional and Organic mushroom sales continued to grow this period. Conventional dollar sales added +$13.0M (+15.8%), while Organic dollar sales increased +$1.1M (+8.9%)

*IRI/FreshLook Data provided by Fusion Marketing