USDA has approved an increase in the assessment rate under the Mushroom Promotion, Research and Consumer Information Program.
The change, recommended unanimously by the Mushroom Council on July 10, will take effect Oct. 1, according to USDA.
Under the new rate, producers and importers who market or import more than 500,000 pounds of fresh mushrooms annually will pay $0.0075 per pound, up from $0.0055 per pound.
The Mushroom Promotion, Research and Consumer Information Order, section 1209.51(b), allows the council to change the rate of assessments for a fiscal year at any time with the approval of the Secretary of Agriculture, the USDA announcement says.
Congress first authorized industry-funded research and promotion boards in 1966, and AMS currently provides oversight for 22 such boards. This oversight ensures fiscal accountability and program integrity, with costs covered by industry assessments.
