Lee's Summit, MO—The Mushroom Council and Allrecipes, the world’s largest digital food media brand, have launched a multi-media campaign about adding mushrooms into the diet. “Mix it Up With Mushrooms” encourages consumers to add mushrooms to their grocery carts and blend them with ground meat to create meals that are more delicious, nutritious, and sustainable. Since launching in May, the efforts have reached consumers more than 50 million times, the Mushroom Council reports.
The Mushroom Council has a long-standing tradition of prioritizing its summer promotions around partnerships with culinary organizations and media brands. To encourage participation, five Allrecipes Allstar home cooks competed in a competition, creating dishes centered around mushrooms. Readers voted and picked Beef and Mushroom Stuffed Shells, by Stacey Freeman, as the winning creation. Freeman won a cash prize of $5,000. “This easy pasta recipe is the perfect dish to serve a family because I know even the younger eaters are going to love it just as much as the adults,” said Freeman. The stuffed shells are made with white button mushrooms and ground beef.
In addition to the competition, the collaboration has seen other successes. Each month, there have been new feature stories and recipes, reaching 45 million consumers. The campaign has utilized social media to highlight mushroom recipes and tips, reaching consumers 5 millions times. An email marketing campaign featured new blended recipes, featuring tacos and burgers, drawing in 500,000 views. Digital ads on the website landing page brought in over 4 million impressions, where viewers could learn more about mushrooms, The Blend, and recipe contest.
Recently, the Mushroom Council and Culinary Institute of America teamed up on an educational cooking series. “Mushrooms in the Plant-Forward Kitchen” educational video series targets professional chefs, and aims to bring mushrooms to the plate in globally-inspired, plant-forward cooking.
