A Note to Mushroom Buyers
Challenges with Sourcing Mushroom Ingredients:
Ensuring your mushrooms really are US or North American Grown
The Problem
An alarming trend is growing: Dried mushroom powders, mushroom extract powders, and
mushroom ingredients are being imported into the US and North America and labeled “Made
in USA,” “Manufactured in USA,” or “North American Grown.”
These mushroom ingredients may be grown from 100% foreign materials, spawned,
incubated, colonized, harvested, or extracted overseas. Some manufacturers are engaging in
deceptive labeling by only completing part of the process in North America, yet suggesting
that the ingredients and products you buy are of US or North American origin.
Why It Matters:
Labeling should be transparent. If a food is labeled “North American Grown” or “Product of
USA,” it should be created using resources from the country of origin to avoid misleading and
deceptive labeling practices that are dishonest to consumers.
It’s damaging to domestic mushroom growers. The cost to produce mushrooms in North
America far exceeds costs of production abroad. The current system creates an uneven
playing field for farmers and has caused many domestic producers to close their doors.
Supporting local benefits everyone. Reducing transportation emissions and food miles increases environmental sustainability. Locally produced ingredients are good for the
environment and the economy.
Foreign supply chains can be unreliable. Working with domestic producers can ensure
reliable access while avoiding the environmental impacts of international shipping and
supply chain issues overseas.
Traceability matters. Fungi are known bioaccumulators. The substrates they are grown on
and natural resources used to cultivate them matter.
What You Can Do:
You can help increase transparency and support US and North American mushroom farms by:
Visit the Functional Mushroom Council website for more information and to sign up for newsletters: https://functionalmushroomcouncil.org