A new study by the European Mushroom Growers Promo Group (GEPC) found that there is a growing interest for mushrooms in Ireland, with 58% of Irish millennial respondents purchasing mushrooms “frequently”.
The research revealed that 63% of Irish respondents think that their purchase of mushrooms for consumption will stay the same, 21% think it will increase, and 11% think it will decrease over the coming year.
According to mushroom advisor at Teagasc, Donal Gernon, production in Ireland is “fairly steady”, at around 68,000t per-year, 80% of which is exported to the UK, and 20% is supplying the Irish market.
There are approximately 34 growers producing on 40 farms in Ireland, and the industry employs around 3,500 people, according to Teagasc.
Mushrooms in the EU
The co-funded survey, European Mushrooms, the Hidden Gem, ran as part of a campaign targeting millennials in nine European markets: Belgium, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Poland, and Spain.
The group stated that it aims to increase consumers’ awareness of the “many advantages” of European mushrooms for a healthy and balanced diet.
It stated: “Affordable, accessible, varied, rich, easy to prepare, and highly sustainable, there is nothing missing: the mushroom is an everyday ally.”
Across all the countries queried, most consumers agreed that mushrooms are a versatile and healthy food option.
There was a lower acknowledgement of the affordability and sustainability of the product, with 11% of respondents indicating that they were unaware or unsure if mushrooms were a sustainable food product.
The group described mushrooms as a “superhero” when it came to sustainability.
“Their impact on the environment is significantly low as they require only a fraction of the water, land and energy needed to produce other foods.
“Mushrooms are natural recycling champions because they are one of the few vegetables with absolutely no waste,” the group stated.
The group said that mushroom production is also a great example of a circular bioeconomy industry, using agricultural by-products.
This process allows farmers to offset artificial fertilisers in favour of a naturally produced alternative and sequester carbon, according to the study.
The study stated that the sector has made advances in productivity in recent years, with the controlled indoor nature of production supporting significant technical and environmental enhancements.