"The consumption of mushrooms will grow, but not as fast as we would want," foresees Inna Ustylovska, the development of the European mushroom market. Inna is the owner of Mushroom Growing News, focusing on media, marketing, and consultancy for the global mushroom industry. "Many people already replace meat with mushrooms, and this trend will develop and cause a natural growth in mushroom consumption. And with that, in many countries, there will be a shift from forest mushrooms to grown mushrooms."
© Inna Ustylovska
In order to stimulate the consumption of mushrooms, Inna looks to the young. "Many people do not give mushrooms to children, but it is very healthy, for children too." Promotion can be helpful in that process, she sees. "A successful example from the US where the meat in a popular dish served at school was mixed with mushrooms. Or the boxes that were developed in Australia for schools to grow mushrooms in the classroom. We need to show children from the beginning that mushrooms are good for you."
More exotics
Another shift that Inna sees is the preference for more exotic varieties over the traditional mushrooms. "For instance, in Spain we see that the consumption of oyster mushrooms – an already more familiar type of exotic – is declining, whereas the consumption of the lesser-known exotic Shiitake is growing."
In terms of production, Inna mentions that the larger part of the European mushroom production takes place in Poland and the Netherlands, making them the largest exporters of mushrooms. The top five European mushroom producers are completed by Spain, Germany, and France. She sees that the increase in production in Germany, France, and the UK is mainly for the domestic markets.
Interest from retail in local production
"Local-for-local is a growing trend in mushrooms. We definitely see increased interest in that from the retail. But the moment a country produces more than its domestic needs, it will need to export. I think there will always be exports, but it is becoming harder. For instance, the Polish mushroom export to the UK is expected to decline once the huge facility that is being built in the UK is in production."
It is one of the reasons that prices are under pressure, Inna sees. Another reason she mentions is the costs that keep increasing. "We see the cost of production coming up, particularly labour costs. Even though we are not in an economic crisis, people are starting to save money, so it is not possible to increase the mushroom prices enough to cover the production costs. Supermarkets need to compete; therefore, the prices are under pressure. Exotic mushrooms like for instance as shiitake or eryngii, are more expensive, making it easier to factor the costs into the price. But in budget mushrooms, this problem cannot be overcome, sometimes making it necessary to sell without a margin."
Inna cannot see that, production cost-wise, one country has benefits over another. "The cost of production is never stable in any of the countries, and where Poland, as a large exporter years ago, had the benefit of low production costs, that is no longer true." She remarks that the largest part of the costs is formed by labour. "Picking mushrooms is not easy, it is not like, say, picking strawberries. It may take a year before someone is a good mushroom picker. So, a mushroom farm can only train people themselves or employ experienced people, and that comes at a price."
Labour costs rising in Poland, too
A price that Polish mushroom growers are willing to pay, too. "Where years ago experienced mushroom pickers from Poland sought employment in other European countries because they were paid more, they now return to Poland because they receive salaries similar to other European countries, while housing in Poland is cheaper. So, although not so high as in the Netherlands or Germany, production costs in Poland are increasing."
This development makes labour in other countries an even bigger problem why there is a need for further automation, Inna sees. "In the Netherlands, the most advanced technology is used, which offers a solution for more efficient growing. That means that the quality improves while less labour is needed."
An in-house gym|
A trend Inna sees in the European mushroom industry is the declining number of mushroom growers. "There will be fewer, but more effective mushroom farms. For instance, in Poland 20 years ago, there were 3.000 mushroom farms. Ten years ago, there were around 2.000, and now there are no more than 500. And from those 500, there are about 100 farms producing the larger part of the Polish mushrooms. So, farms tend to become larger, and that is a good thing. It improves the product quality, sustainability – many of the Polish farms now have solar panels -, and there is more focus on the employees, with proper housing and sometimes even an in-house gym. Smaller farms cannot do this."
"In the Netherlands, now operate fewer than 100 mushroom farms, including those growing exotic mushrooms. Those farms, which produce mushrooms for the fresh market, have mostly very modern facilities - both in technology and in the way of thinking. For instance, in the Netherlands, farms renovate growing rooms more often to keep the quality of mushrooms at a high standard – just apply special vapor-tight coating of Ribbstyle once in 10 years so as to have the rooms sealed completely. The Netherlands exports more than 50% of the mushrooms grown for the fresh market, which makes the country keeps the very good standard of long shelf life for the white and chestnut button mushrooms."
It leads Inna to conclude that there are good opportunities for mushrooms. "I think consumption will grow, albeit at a different speed in different countries." She sees that connections between mushroom growers from different countries could help that process, and she calls for more communication throughout the industry. "Sometimes a solution found in New Zealand can also be useful in Germany, or a problem in Poland may already be solved in the Netherlands. The industry needs to connect in order to grow and develop."
For more information
Inna Ustylovska
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