The Blend for Everyday Eating – 2024 Campaign Launches

AMGA Members Update

 

Mark your calendars, Australia—October 15 is World Mushroom Day, and what better way to celebrate than by showcasing one of the world’s most versatile and delicious ingredients: Australian mushrooms! Whether you’re a long-time mushroom lover or just getting into cooking with these fabulous fungi, we’ve got you covered with 10 incredible mushroom-inspired recipes from 10 different countries. These dishes highlight how mushrooms can take center stage in any cuisine.

This World Mushroom Day, head down to your local market, grab some fresh mushrooms, and try one (or more!) of these global recipes. Cook up a storm for your family and friends and join us in celebrating the tasty, versatile and healthy goodness of mushrooms.

Here’s a culinary trip around the world, all from the comfort of your kitchen!

 

For something hearty, give this Greek Mushroom Stifado a go. It’s a rich, slow-cooked stew that’s full of bold flavours like red wine and tomatoes, with mushrooms soaking up all that goodness. Just serve with some crusty bread to mop up the sauce.

Looking for a quick and tasty meal? This 30-Minute Mushroom Laksa brings the rich, aromatic flavours of Southeast Asia to your table in no time. It’s a deliciously comforting noodle soup that’s bursting with flavour.

Fancy a bit of British flair? This Duxelles & Individual Beef Wellington gives you that restaurant-quality meal at home. Mushrooms add a delicious juicy layer, and the crispy golden puff pastry will make this a family fave. 

Take your taste buds on a trip to the Middle East with Mushroom Shawarma. Marinated in a blend of spices, these mushrooms are roasted until they’re tender and juicy. Serve them with pita, tahini, and fresh veggies for a light and tasty meal.

If you’re after something warm and nourishing, this Miso Sesame Crusted Mushroom Udon Noodle Soup hits the spot. The mushrooms are crusted in sesame seeds for a bit of crunch, while the miso broth gives the soup its signature umami kick.

Try something different with this West African Mushroom Suya. The mushrooms are simmered in a spicy, flavourful sauce that packs a punch. It’s bold, vibrant, and guaranteed to a firm favourite for any family dinner table. Yum!

Creamy and comforting, this Mixed Mushroom Stroganoff is an absolute winner. With rich, earthy mushrooms cooked in a luscious sauce, it’s quick to whip up and perfect for a cozy night in.

Short on time? You’ll love this Microwave Mushroom Risotto. It’s creamy, delicious, and so simple. Just pop it in the microwave, and in a few minutes, you’ve got yourself a bowl of Italian comfort food.

Taco night? These Tex Mex Pulled Mushroom Tacos are a game changer. The mushrooms are shredded and cooked with bold spices, then topped with fresh salsa and crumbled queso fresco. It’s an easy crowd-pleaser.

Put an Aussie twist on your dinner with Mushroom Schnitzel Parmigiana. You can’t go wrong with a golden, crumbed mushroom schnitzel topped with tomato sauce and melted cheese. It’s a vegetarian take on a pub classic that everyone will love.

Anthony Leddin

The AMGA's Mushrooms + Mince = The Blend campaign has launched.

The focus for this year is on "The Blend for Everyday Eating” and will help ensure mushrooms are top of mind for everyday meaty meals, ensuring the relevancy all throughout the year, as we have identified the need to extend (or creep) our higher volume seasonal periods.

The Blend is a $125,000 campaign, separate to the marketing initiatives of Hort Innovation. This year’s campaign has been co-funded by the AMGA ($100,000) and Hort Innovation ($25,000).

The Blend – Campaign Overview

The 2024 Blend campaign is designed to enhance the momentum from last year's campaign and continue to educate Australian consumers about the concept of substituting minced meat for finely diced mushrooms, in our everyday meaty meals. By substituting mince for mushrooms, meals are more cost effective (comparative to the cost of mince), more sustainable, and more delicious.

The campaign is targeted in particular to educate families and seniors about health benefits of using a mushroom + mince blend.

The objective is to increase consumers purchase intent for mushrooms, with the ultimate goal for mushrooms to be considered as an essential ingredient to make all your favourite minced meat dishes taste better and be more nutritious. This will be delivered via a focus on:

  • Substituting minced meat for mushrooms. Mushrooms + Mince = The Blend
  • Leveraging meat reducers, inspire families into category and provide another way high mushroom users can consume on one more meal occasion.
  • Emphasising nutritional benefits and better taste.
  • Inspiring with blended recipes to show ease of adding mushrooms to any minced meat meal

Emphasising the cost savings of mushrooms vs mince.

Campaign Highlights:

Along with a robust digital marketing and PR strategy, the 2024 omni-channel campaign features an exciting competition for mass reach, partnerships with digital outlets, an Aldi on-pack sticker promotion, refreshed website and new Blenditarian recipes, and thanks to Hort Innovations additional funding, an extensive influencer engagement campaign.

Here are some of the most exciting campaign highlights to look out for:

1. Scan to Win a $5000 Kitchen Makeover:

This competition is designed to capture the attention of home cooks, to enter to win a $5,000 Kitchen Makeover (with five $250 gift cards for runners up).

To be in the draw to win, entrants will click am online link or scan a QR code instore, and tell us in 25 words or less which is their favourite Blenditarian recipe.

Once completed, entrants will be taken on an educational journey via email and social media retargeting, to ensure they understand the benefits of the Mushroom + Mince = The Blend cooking technique, and are inspired with delicious, blended recipes.

This World Mushroom Day, let’s come together to celebrate one of the worlds most versatile ingredients by cooking up a storm in the kitchen. Whether you’re craving something rich and comforting, fresh and light, or spicy and bold, there’s a mushroom recipe for you. So head to your local market, grab some mushrooms, and help us celebrate World Mushroom Day—one delicious dish at a time!

Don’t forget to share your creations with us! Tag your mushroom masterpieces with #WorldMushroomDay and spread the love of mushrooms across the globe.