In an era of rising cultural interest in boosting immunity in the face of the current coronavirus crisis (which we just discussed in a recent podcast), among many potential food- and beverage-based aids, the mighty mushroom has sprouted up as a functional, fungal friend. Not technically a vegetable, these edible fungi are found in the produce section of supermarkets and increasingly in powdered and liquid forms for use as supplements. The rise of mushroom-focused supplements reflects the fact that we're moving well beyond a culinary interest in the common button mushrooms seen in the fresh perimeter of food retailers. 

As Melissa Abbott, VP, Hartman Retainer Services (HRS), notes in a 2019 HuffPost interview, “There’s a big resurgence in terms of going beyond the button, crimini and shiitake [mushroom]" ... “Culinary-forward mushrooms like chanterelles, king trumpets, lion’s mane, and oyster mushrooms are really fun, amazing, and texturally [interesting]. They also have tremendous amounts of nutritional benefits, particularly vitamin D.”

To this point, and discussed in yet another Hartman Group podcast (The Mighty Mushroom), Melissa joined Robertson Allen, Senior Consultant, HRS, to describe how within food culture in the United States there's growing interest in mushrooms from a medicinal perspective, specifically among consumers seeking health benefits like energy, longevity, cognitive health and particularly immunity. Part of the consumer attraction to consuming mushrooms is as a pathway to connect with plant-based products (which is, of course, its own mega-trend). From a medicinal perspective, mushrooms have a long and diverse history of human use across many cultures ranging from shamanistic to psychotropic and have been used in Eastern medicine for many centuries to treat health issues ranging from asthma to gout. 

Another attraction to mushrooms relates to long-term shifts from reactive health and wellness thinking to a more proactive stance that incorporates holistic health, wellness and balance: mushrooms play into this proactive approach to wellness because of their adaptogenic and medicinal properties. As we find in our Health + Wellness 2019: From Moderation to Mindfulness report, cultural assumptions about what health and wellness encompasses continue to evolve, especially as consumers gain greater awareness of the dynamic connections between body and mind within a national mood that feels very anxious and uncertain.

To explore how consumers are using foods like mushrooms as “medicine,” we are launching a new study, Functional Foods & Beverages and Supplements 2020,with a special focus on the role of functional foods, beverages and supplements in helping consumers amidst the impact of the coronavirus. The study has a specific focus on products that boost immunity and the body’s defenses in the face of stressors to health.

Key topic areas include exploration of general consumer notions, needs and preferences as relating to:

  • Consumer language around these products; trust in health claims
  • Understanding the continuum of functional foods from a consumer perspective (scientifically functional foods/enhanced functional foods/inherently functional foods)
  •  Consumers’ preferred delivery of functional ingredients (probiotics, etc.); food and beverage vs. supplement sources
  • The importance of category selection in enhanced and scientifically functional foods design (culturally well-accepted food and beverage categories vs. culturally less accepted food and beverage categories)
  •  The role of anatomy in the plausibility of functional foods (digestive function, immune function, heart health, bone health, mental alertness (energy foods, especially protein))