Mushroom Council launches first contest with Allrecipes

The Mushroom Council has kicked off its first-ever “Mix It Up With Mushrooms” contest with Allrecipes, a giant food media brand.

The collaboration is for a 2023 multimedia campaign encouraging grocery shoppers to buy more mushrooms to blend into classic ground meat or meat alternative recipes for more nutritious, delicious sustainable dishes, according to a news release.

“This campaign seems like a slam dunk to me, as it solves a big need for inflationary-minded shoppers who still want great tasting and nutritious meals,” Anne-Marie Roerink, retail analyst and leader of 210 Analytics, said in the release. “A good deal at the grocery store may get you to buy an item once, but it has to taste good to buy something again. And that’s why The Blend is so timely. It addresses affordability by helping stretch the meat dollar, tastes great and raises the nutritional profile.”

The contest will feature five original main-dish recipes created by five different Allrecipes Allstars home cooks, all vying to be selected by the voting public as the best. Allrecipes Allstars is a community of home cooks who create and share their beloved family recipes and expertise to help the vast Allrecipes audience of consumers make delicious meals.

Each recipe created for the contest will spotlight The Blend, the umami-rich combo of finely chopped mushrooms and ground meat.

The 2023 contest marks a departure from the Mushroom Council’s traditional burger contest and will expand its offering with blended recipes ranging from tacos to pasta sauces and more.

Related: Mushroom Council targets Texas BBQ music festival with ‘Shroom House’

Now through July 14, consumers can vote for their favorite mushroom-and-meat recipes created by the five Allrecipes Allstars and featured on Allrecipes’ “Mix It Up with Mushrooms” contest landing page link here. Users who vote will be entered for a chance to win $1,000, while the Allrecipes Allstar whose recipe earns the most votes will receive $5,000. See full contest rules here.

Winners will be chosen and announced in late summer and early fall, according to the release.

This Allrecipes partnership is part of a long-standing tradition for the Mushroom Council to devote the spring and summer months to promoting The Blend with a major organization or media outlet. Throughout the campaign, the Mushroom Council will share blended inspiration through recipes and social media videos, showcasing how mushrooms add flavor, veggies and an Earth-friendly ingredient to your meat dish.

Learn on PMG: mushrooms, the commodity

Past partners have included the James Beard Foundation, Bon Appétit magazine and Food Network, reaching new potential mushroom consumers each year. A decade into these Blend promotions, the Mushroom Council’s collaborations are part of the long-term goal to reach more mainstream grocery shoppers.

MushroomCouncil.com will provide inspiration for blending and a call to action with online ads to participate in "Mix It Up With Mushrooms" on theAllrecipes.com contest page.