Monaghan supplies around 15 tons of mushrooms per week from East Lothian to Asda stores across Scotland. The company uses a UV treatment process to increase Vitamin D2 content in mushrooms, creating a specific Vitamin D variety among its product lines.
Chief Commercial Officer Adam Wilson said: "With Scotland's climate, particularly after such an overcast winter, lots of people just aren't getting enough of the 'sunshine vitamin'.
"At Monaghan, we've fine-tuned our process to enhance Vitamin D2 content, producing a 'Vitamin D' variety – one of seven lines we supply to Asda.
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"We have developed a unique UV-treatment, our mushrooms are high in Vitamin D, mimicking the process that occurs when mushrooms are exposed to sunlight in their natural environment. By controlling the amount of light, we're able to make sure the levels of Vitamin D are consistent and reliable."
Research by Forth indicates that 50% of UK adults have below-optimum Vitamin D levels.
According to Wilson, the mushrooms have similar taste characteristics to standard varieties. "The main difference is they have the benefit of providing 100% of the recommended daily amount of Vitamin D in just 100g of mushrooms," he said.
"They offer a simple, everyday way for people to add more Vitamin D to their diets, and they're available 365 days of the year."
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Monaghan was founded in 1981 in Co Monaghan, Ireland, and now employs around 2,500 people across the UK, Ireland, and Canada, including operations in East Lothian. The company has supplied mushrooms to Asda for over 25 years.
Ashley Connolly, Asda Scotland Local Buying Manager, said: "Long-term partnerships like this one are incredibly important not just to Asda as a business, but to our customers. By working closely with trusted suppliers, we can be confident our shoppers have access to the very best in fresh, nutritious produce while we continue to support the growers behind it."
Adam added, "Working with Asda for three decades, and supplying them with Scottish-grown mushrooms for more than 25 years, is something we're immensely proud of. The partnership has grown with us and allowed us to continue supplying high-quality, locally-grown mushrooms week after week, year after year.
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"My father, Ronnie, started the company from a room in his house in the 1980s, and now we supply 15 tonnes of mushrooms to Scottish Asda stores every week. Seeing how far the business has come while remaining family-led is hugely rewarding for us."
For more information:
ASDA
Tel: +44 (0) 330 053 0111
www.corporate.asda.com
