UK | While some love and some loathe mushrooms, they have become one of the most popular fresh produce items, with over 1.5 billion portions sold each year in the UK.
Conventional mushroom crop production has relied on peat, a precious carbon-rich natural resource that takes thousands of years to grow in wetland ecosystems.
Following a decade of research and development, Sainsbury’s has become the first UK supermarket to launch conventional mushrooms grown without peat.
This significant change to the growth process reduces the carbon intensity of mushroom production, leaving peat in the ground, which will help protect nature and bring the retailer one step closer to its Net Zero goals.
Customers can spot ‘Grown without Peat’ on Sainsbury’s mushroom packaging in 200+ Sainsbury’s stores. Peat-free mushrooms will be first available in the White Closed Cup 300g and White Baby Button 200g variants.
Mushrooms are typically grown in two layers of material: first, a layer of natural compost and then a layer of peat. The latter plays a crucial role in mushroom yield and quality, making it difficult to replace.
Instead of peat, Sainsbury’s new mushrooms are grown with an innovative, sustainable substrate from recycled natural materials.
Developed in partnership with Sainsbury’s long-term mushroom supplier Monaghan, the new process will remove 20,465 tonnes of peat from mushroom production annually.
“At Sainsbury’s, we’re committed to playing our part in enabling and driving a resilient and sustainable food system, including protecting nature and reducing carbon to Net Zero. Our new peat-free mushrooms will help us get closer to achieving these goals in our supply chain,” said Richard Crampton, Director of Fresh Food at Sainsbury’s.
“We’re proud to be the first supermarket in the UK to bring peat-free mushrooms to our customers, who want easy ways to make more responsible choices when buying food without compromising on quality. This wouldn’t have been possible without the work of our partner Monaghan, who spent ten years coming up with the alternative.”
As a natural carbon storer, peat regulates Earth’s climate. Extracting peat to help grow products such as mushrooms contributes to climate change and the destruction of wetland ecosystems, as carbon emissions are released during harvest, and the peatlands can take decades, if not centuries, to recover.
Peatlands also provide critical habitats for many rare, threatened, or declining animal and plant species while significantly retaining water and improving soil and water quality. With weather patterns becoming increasingly unpredictable due to climate change, peatlands’ ability to slow water flow can help reduce the risk of flooding.
This breakthrough will benefit the planet and customers, as it has resulted in mushrooms that are higher in quality, firmer in texture and whiter in colour, with a day longer shelf life.
“At Monaghan, we are committed to lowering our climate impact across every facet of our operations,” said Noel Hegarty, Chief Commercial Officer at Monaghan.
“Although mushrooms already have a low carbon footprint compared to other foods, we want to take this further with our journey to net zero. Peat-free mushrooms are a huge step forward with that ambition.”
Karl Mitchell, Director of Fundraising at The Woodland Trust, was delighted to hear that Sainsbury’s was introducing peat-free mushrooms as part of its core range. He said this was a significant step towards protecting the peatlands, which are vital for biodiversity and climate resilience.
“Peatland restoration is an important part of our work at the Woodland Trust, and our 20-year partnership with Sainsbury’s has been instrumental in positively impacting our sites. This latest announcement demonstrates a shared commitment to a sustainable future,” said Mitchell.
Alongside the transition to peat-free, Sainsbury’s was also the first UK supermarket to offer Vitamin D-enhanced white mushrooms, delivering 170 million portions of mushrooms enriched with the sunshine vitamin every year.
With 57 percent of UK adults lacking the recommended Vitamin D levels, just 100g of these enriched mushrooms help adults to reach their daily reference intake of Vitamin D.
Following the launch of vitamin-enhanced chestnut mushrooms in 2018, this latest offering means Sainsbury’s has the most extensive range of Vitamin-enriched mushrooms in the UK.
Sainsbury’s has committed to becoming Net Zero across its operations and supply chain by 2035 and 2050, which aligns with the Paris Agreement’s aim of limiting global temperature rise to 1.5C.
