Market Trends of Fresh Mushrooms Industry
Rising Health Consciousness to Propel Mushroom Consumption
Mushrooms are a low-calorie food that packs a nutritional punch and is loaded with many health-boosting vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, which are important parts of any diet. For instance, mushrooms raised with exposure to ultraviolet light are a good source of vitamin D, an important component in bone and immune health. Different varieties of mushrooms have different nutritional values. Among them, Crimini mushrooms are a particularly excellent source of zinc, an essential trace element. Zinc is a vital nutrient for the immune system and is also needed for ensuring optimal growth in infants and children. According to FAO, the global production of mushrooms increased by 44.2 million metric tons compared to 2020 due to the huge benefits of mushrooms globally. These factors are boosting the demand for mushrooms in the consumers and tend to grow in the following years.
In 2022, the Government of Canada announced an investment of up to USD 344,100 for the Canadian Mushroom Growers' Association (Mushrooms Canada) to support market growth for Canada's mushroom sector. Under the Agri Marketing Program, funds are being utilized to help Mushrooms Canada increase consumer and stakeholder knowledge of the nutritional benefits of mushrooms. The funded project aims to maintain and expand Canadian mushroom demand and consumption domestically and in the United States through industry-led promotional activities.
The burgeoning vegan population, combined with increasing usage as a meat alternative, is expected to fuel market expansion, and the latest technological advancements, such as computerized control, disease forecasting sensors, automated mushroom harvesters, and automated temperature-controlling systems, have also increased mushroom production drastically. This is strengthening the market to grow in the future.
Asia-Pacific Dominates the Market
Asia-Pacific is the largest market region for fresh mushrooms. China is one of the largest consumers and producers of fresh mushrooms, accounting for nearly 52% of the world's fresh mushroom production. The other large markets in Asia-Pacific include Japan, India, Malaysia, and South Korea. Due to the large number of producers in South Korea, domestic prices are often low, making the producers from the country look for opportunities in the international market. The other large producers of fresh mushrooms after Asia-Pacific include Europe, America and Africa.
Besides its overseas expansion, major countries are turning to automation to improve efficiency with machinery equipped with artificial intelligence for the labor-intensive process of cutting mushrooms which aims to reduce more than 150 workers from production and packaging operations to produce large quantities of mushrooms in less time. According to FAO, China's production accounted for 41.1 million metric ton in 2021, which has increased compared to the previous year.
Japan is the world's largest consumer of matsutake, reserves almost all domestic harvest for its own consumption and imports a large haul from China. According to Japan's Agriculture Ministry, middle-class Chinese consumers are also increasingly acquiring a taste for the mushroom due to the maximum health benefits of the matsutake mushroom. This will help the market in the region to grow further in the future.
