Clare Hamilton-Bate has had more to do with food safety certification than just about anyone in Australia. Clare has also been an advisor to the mushroom industry for over 10 years. MushroomLink recently talked to Clare about tips and traps for QA managers on mushroom farms.

As consumers and regulators become increasingly concerned about sustainability, the Australian mushroom industry needs to explore alternative packaging solutions to meet the growing demand for environmentally friendly products. With fewer than 50 commercial growers, the mushroom industry has the opportunity to adopt sustainable packaging solutions across the board, positioning itself as a leader in Australian horticulture.

A collaboration between Nutrition Research Australia (NRAUS) and the AMGA is working hard to show the benefit of adding mushrooms to the menu, not only to improve the palatability of institutional meals, but to boost their nutritional offering as well. Initial research reveals the Australian food industry has a lot more to learn about the health benefits of the mighty mushroom, with taste and culinary benefits overshadowing the vast nutritional benefits of mushrooms in the nationally accredited commercial cookery curriculum.

It’s one thing to claim sustainability, and quite another to prove it. A new R&D levy-funded project is bringing ‘life cycle thinking’ to the Australian mushroom industry, which will highlight the strengths and weaknesses in mushroom sustainability across the industry. With recent media attention and a new investigation by the ACCC exposing greenwashing, it is more important than ever to understand the real impact of a business and the effectiveness of any sustainability measures.

To maintain consumer appeal and a competitive edge, business must strive for that magical triple bottom line of social, economic and environmental sustainability. Striking that balance is an ongoing challenge due to a fickle global economy and increasingly unpredictable weather patterns.

Vitamin D deficiency is an increasing public health problem in Australia, with almost a quarter of Australians deficient. Mushrooms provide a unique solution to address this deficiency and would lend some ‘nutrition heft’ to any marketing campaign. However, before claims can be made about vitamin D, it is necessary to take a closer look at the vitamin and the specifics of the food regulations.

Flies in mushroom crops are a persistent, annoying, and occasionally, very damaging issue that all growers will face at some time. Most research has focussed on sciarids (Lycoriella spp.), often the most common species present. The maggots feed on organic matter in compost and readily adapt to captivity, making research relatively easy. Mushroom phorid flies may be a minor problem on most Australian farms, but in many countries – including Spain, Turkey, India, the UK and the US – they are a major pest. Yield losses of 10 to 40% have been widely reported. Some Australian farms are now also reporting persistent populations of these flies.