PRESS RELEASE Redwood Shores, CA (Dec. 4, 2019) – Coming soon to a campus near you, if they aren’t already there: mushrooms.
New research from Datassential shows The Blend™ – the culinary practice of blending meat/protein with chopped mushrooms – is earning widespread adoption at colleges and universities nationwide, and it’s not going anywhere anytime soon.
In a survey commissioned by the Mushroom Council BB #:161860, Datassential found that 42% of college and university operators are serving The Blend and 83% either are serving or are interested in doing so.
In addition, of all colleges serving The Blend, 65% plan to use it more over the next two years. None plan to decrease usage. Datassential estimates operators served 29,163,360 lb. of blended protein last year.
“We’ve long known that The Blend has been a strong performer on college campuses, and this data reveals that, not only is penetration widespread, interest in serving The Blend is almost ubiquitous,” said Bart Minor, president of the Mushroom Council.
“College dining halls are where consumers have their first opportunity to choose what they eat on a consistent basis, helping them develop food choices for life. The study validates our belief that The Blend will become the choice dish among new generations of diners.”
Among the survey’s additional findings:
• Blended burgers are the most popular blended option. 30% of operators either serve or are interested in serving blended burgers. Operators served an estimated 15 million pounds of blended burgers in the past year.
• Yet, blended burgers are far from the only application. Operators use The Blend to add a delicious and nutritious edge to a number of indulgent crowd-pleasers:
o 19% either currently serve or are interested in serving blended meatballs
o 18% for blended meatloaf
o 16% for blended tacos
o 14% for blending pasta toppings or fillings
o 11% for blended chili
• Operators serve blended menu items with frequency. Nearly 60% of operators who serve blended dishes offer it to students multiple times per week.
• Blended protein is a relatively new option. Of all colleges serving blended products, 77% have introduced it in the last two years
• Few operators hide the fact that protein has been blended with mushrooms. Instead, operators are proud to call it out. When serving blended protein, 95% of operators at least some of the time note mushrooms are included.
• The forecast for blended protein on campuses is overwhelmingly positive. Of the two-thirds of operators who plan to increase blend servings over the next two years, among their reasons:
o 50% are doing it to provide healthier options
o 43% because students like and/or are requested blended products
Datassential based its findings on a September survey of 155 college and university operators who are part of its OPERA panel.
New board members
The U.S. Department of Agriculture recently announced the appointment of three members to serve on the Mushroom Council. The appointees will serve three-year terms from Jan. 1, 2020, to Dec. 31, 2022.
Members appointed are:
• Edward M. Wuensch III, Gonzales, Texas – Representing Region 1
• M. Fletcher Street, Olympia, Wash. – Representing Region 1
• Mark Moran, Kennett Square, Pa. – Representing Region 2
The nine-member council is comprised of eight domestic growers and one importer. The members represent four regions: three domestic growers are from all states other than California and Pennsylvania (Region 1); four domestic growers are from Pennsylvania (Region 2); one domestic grower is from California (Region 3) and the importer represents Region 4. Council members are nominated by their peers and appointed by the Secretary of Agriculture.
More information about the council, including a roster of members, is available on the Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) Mushroom Council webpage and on the council’s website at www.mushroomcouncil.com.
about the Mushroom Council
The Mushroom Council is composed of fresh market producers or importers who average more than 500,000 pounds of mushrooms produced or imported annually. The mushroom program is authorized by the Mushroom Promotion, Research and Consumer Information Act of 1990 and is administered by the Mushroom Council under the supervision of the Agricultural Marketing Service. Research and promotion programs help to expand, maintain and develop markets for individual agricultural commodities in the United States and abroad. These industry self-help programs are requested and funded by the industry groups that they serve. For more information, visit mushroomcouncil.com.
