Mushroom demand has skyrocketed since the Mushroom Council launched the Blendability campaign a couple of years ago.

By variety, consumed at home or eaten at foodservice operations, white mushrooms continue to be the leader. But browns and Shiitakes have made strong headway and perhaps in the future will share a leadership position. Mushroom producers joined the Blendability campaign without hesitation, and even expanded on it by promoting both Blendability — replacing half of meat protein with mushrooms — and Topability, or ­ the use of mushrooms to top starches and proteins like pastas, potatoes and meats.The Mushroom Council’s Blendability and Topability initiatives have been effective in increasing consumption.

Organic mushroom sales have also grown in demand over the past couple of years.

Pete Wilder, marketing director for To-Jo Mushrooms, said the company is seeing an increase in inquiries regarding a recently launched Mushroom Council promotion called the Better Burger Project, where it is promoting the concept to consumers through a partnership with the chefs in the James Beard Foundation.

“We are providing support to our retail partners by supplying them with blended recipes and in-store demo ideas to promote the concept in their prepared foods cases,” said Wilder. “In foodservice, we are working with a range of industrial manufacturers who are bringing a variety of concepts to market for their customers, including the Blended Savory Burger being sold through U.S. Foods.”

To-Jo currently offers organic products to its customers, and Wilder said it is an emerging category.

“Organic sales steadily increased through the first quarter of this year,” noted Wilder.

Mike O’Brien, vice president of sales and marketing for Monterey Mushrooms, said the Blendability initiative is keeping mushrooms top of mind.

“This effort communicates to consumers about how blending fresh mushrooms with ground meat can enhance flavor, and substantially reduce fat, sodium and calories,” said O’Brien. “It has a fast-growing following across the country in school lunch programs and in colleges. Blendability is one of the trends that are being offered at restaurants where chefs are blending finely chopped mushrooms into recipes that call for ground meat to reduce calories, sodium and fat content, and they’re also adding extra servings of vegetables to the plate.”

To-Jo Mushrooms also offers organically grown products to its customers. O’Brien said the company also saw sales steadily increasing through the first quarter of this year.

“The organic mushroom category has grown by 15 percent, driven by the millennials,” said O’Brien. “We have increased our organic production to service our customers at all farms. Our expert category management capabilities have helped our customers grow category sales by adding organics to their mix.”

Bill Litvin, senior vice president of sales and national account manager for Giorgio Fresh, said that today, people of all ages, from millennials to baby boomers, are more concerned about eating healthier.

“This is reflected in the growing rate of vegetarians and flexitarians,” he said. “Commodity prices are also affecting menu decisions at home and in restaurants.”

Finely chopped mushrooms, he added, look, act, taste and perform like ground meat. Blended together with meat, this combination adds taste and health benefits to popular foods.

“Sensory research conducted by the Culinary Institute of America compared 100 percent all-meat tacos to 50-50 mushroom-beef blend,” said Litvin. “Overall groups preferred the 50-50 blend.”

Basciani Mushroom Farms, which services primarily foodservice operations, concurs that the Blendability and Topability initiatives are strong drivers. Chefs are acutely aware of price-per-plates costs, and replacing a portion of protein with mushroom helps keep their costs in line.

Fred Recchiuti, general manager of Basciani, noted, “We are seeing increased interest in the nutritional aspects of mushrooms at the consumer level. Restaurants and other foodservice operators are slow to promote this aspect, but they do see the financial value of Blendability.”

Kevin Donovan, national sales manager at Phillips Mushrooms, said organics are following the same trends as conventional mushrooms.

“While organics are strongest at retail, we are starting to see more interest from the foodservice end,” he explained. “Operators tend to change their menus seasonally, and they know that offering an organic option grabs the attention of customers who are following the trend, and it’s important to them to have a consistent year-round supply.”

Phillips Mushrooms is getting the word out about Blendability and Topability to retailers to inspire them to do in-store promotions.

“We encourage retailers to do samplings and to use other tools to get consumers on board,” said Donovan. “We are also working with our foodservice customers and food processors to educate them on using mushrooms in this way.”