Meet Taco Tuesday’s New Neighbor: “Mushroom Monday”

Mushroom Council® Readies Multi-Channel Promotion to Rally the Mushroom Phenomenon

January 16, 2024 - Mushrooms are having a moment. Whole Foods and Fresh Thyme Markets placed them in their 2024 trend forecasts. Home cooks are embracing mushrooms’ versatility. Chefs are increasingly adding them to their menus. Sales are up 20% over 10 years. They are part of fashion, functional foods and pop culture.

According to the nation’s mushroom producers, it’s time to give this moment a name. In fact, it deserves its own day of the week: Mushroom Monday. Created by the Mushroom Council® and launching in March across multiple channels, Mushroom Monday will ultimately feature:

• Chefs and restaurants nationwide spotlighting their mushroom-centric dishes for Mushroom Monday.
• Dietitians and health influencers encouraging using fresh mushrooms each Monday for a healthy start to the work week.
• Grocery stores offering specials and inspiration to help shoppers make more mindful meal choices.
• Home cooks centering their Monday night meal planning on mushrooms.

Mushroom Monday on Menus

To promote Mushroom Monday, the Mushroom Council will focus heavily on foodservice. Starting in March, restaurants will be encouraged to participate by sharing their featured mushroom menu item(s) on the Mushroom Council’s website.

Once added, restaurants will be able to access the Mushroom Council’s foodservice operator program kit that will include free downloadable assets, including:

• Mushroom Monday logo artwork for use on operator menus, ads/promotions, social posts, etc.
• Point of sale signage
• Press release templates for self promotion

Throughout the year, the Mushroom Council will be raising public awareness about Mushroom Monday and participating restaurants via:

• An online directory of participating restaurants
• Social media promotions
• Influencer collaborations
• Online advertising
• Media events and outreach

Mushroom Monday at Retail and in Home Kitchens

Concurrent with the foodservice activities, the Mushroom Council will also be promoting Mushroom Monday for retailers and their shoppers, including:

• Overall branding
• A new hub at MushroomCouncil.com for consumers to find recipe inspiration for celebrating Mushroom Mondays in their home kitchens
• Education guides and tool kits for supermarket dietitians
• Influencer collaborations
• Social media and digital ads.
• Ongoing media outreach.
• Mushroom producers and brands collaborating on retail campaigns.

“Meals continue to be home-centric and consumers are tired of figuring out what’s for dinner,” said Anne-Marie Roerink, president of 210 Analytics, LLC. “Mushrooms have been trending for years and are now a key part not just of the culinary but the cultural zeitgeist. What a great initiative to help restaurants and grocers give shape to and seize this phenomenon with a year-round campaign that helps consumers solve the meal puzzle.”

“The best part?” Roerink added. “Chefs don’t have to create a new dish, and retailers don’t have to dramatically change their offerings to be a part of Mushroom Monday. They just need to amplify what they already are offering under the all-new Mushroom Monday banner. Spanning across the produce, meat, deli, frozen and grocery aisles, the opportunities to merchandise against Mushroom Monday are as versatile as the product itself.”

Foodservice operators, retailers and dietitians wanting an early jump on Mushroom Monday can also contact the Mushroom Council for more information at MushroomMonday@MushroomCouncil.org.

About the Mushroom Council:

The Mushroom Council is composed of fresh market producers and 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.