Mushroom council treasures dietitians at annual conference.

After a three-year absence, the Mushroom Council returned to the American Dietetic Association's (ADA) Food & Nutrition Conference & Exhibition (FNCE) meeting, held September 30-October 2 in Philadelphia, PA. The organization estimates that 10,700 dietitians (16 percent of membership) attended.

Registered dietitians (RD) were surprised and enthusiastic to learn about the nutritional value and health benefits of mushrooms. Dietitians are a key audience for the Mushroom Council since they are the only nationally recognized food and nutrition experts, and are the best source of science-based food and nutrition information.

The Mushroom Council debuted a new booth, which highlighted the nutrient-density and taste appeal of mushrooms. About 1,000 attendees received a sneak peak of new recipes scheduled for release in 2008. Prior to the conference, the Council arranged for delivery of an e-card or teaser inviting dietitians to come to the booth to complete a survey. A spritzer for use in sauteing mushrooms was offered as a gift and recipes and nutrition information were also handed out. The e-card was a huge success reaching 100 percent of pre-registrants (5,295). Oftentimes dietitians would come to the booth and mention the e-card, prize offerings and new Web site. The e-card generated 815 new visits to the Web site.

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In all, the team collected 500-600 survey cards at the booth. It was interesting to see how many dietitians were struggling with the questions about mushroom nutrition. Most of them didn't know the nutritional value of mushrooms, and the team often joked that "we have our work cut out for us" in educating this group. Here are just a few of their comments:

* "This is one vegetable I never really recommend, but I have a new look at it now."

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* "Wow, I didn't know much about mushrooms- it's time to study!"

* "I've always loved mushrooms, but I had no idea they were so good for me! Now I know why."

The nutrition brochure was given to anyone who came to the booth. Additionally, 300 Best Life recipe sheets, 30 mushroom nutrition fact sheets and nutrition newsletter samples were handed out. Names, addresses and email information were collected on 568 attendees. These people will be added to the influencer database to receive the nutrition newsletter and research updates.

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Margo Kraus, MS, RD, Edelman, Consumer Food & Nutrition, had several one-on-one meetings to build relationships on behalf of the Mushroom Council. These included representatives from Weight Watchers, Council funded researchers, Research Advisory Panelists, potential super-foods spokespeople and others. In addition, the team had conversations with nutrition editors for the Atlantic Journal Constitution, Chicago Tribune, Cooking Light, Family Circle, Consumer Reports, Relish, Fitness and other media outlets.

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RELATED ARTICLE: Mushroom Council Develops Nutrient-Value Based Literature

The Mushroom Council has developed several educational tools about nutrient-dense mushrooms. These materials can be downloaded from the Council Web site at www.mushroominfo.com or requested directly from the Council office.

"Mushrooms: Light in Color, Dense in Nutrients" available at: www.mushroominfo.com/userfiles/file/Mushroom%20Color%20Chart.pdf

"Who's the Fairest of Them All?" available at www.mushroomcouncil.com/userfiles/file/Whose%20the%20Fairest%20of%20Them%20All.pdf

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Mushroom Nutrition Brochure www.mushroomcouncil.com/userfiles/file/Mushroom%20Nutrition.pdf