New: fresh mushrooms with an extended shelf life

‘Helping reduce food wastage’ 

According to a rough estimate from the world food organisation, FAO, 45% of all vegetables and fruit in Europe are not eaten. That’s an absolute waste of money and detrimental for the environment. pluQ introduces fresh mushrooms with an extended shelf life and hopes therefore to contribute towards reducing the amount of food that is wasted.

Ready to use, fresh mushrooms for an appealing price and with a long shelf life. PluQ, a joint venture started by the three renowned Dutch mushroom companies Limax, Lutèce and Prime Champ, is behind the introduction of this unique concept on the fresh market.

pluQ’s Maikel van Bakel says: “By applying a number of patented steps during the production processes we can guarantee a longer shelf life for the mushrooms. For retailers and consumers this extended shelf life offers the possibility of reducing food wastage. As there is more time before the sell by date is reached, less produce has to be thrown away. This is a huge benefit particularly for fresh, sliced mushrooms in view of their susceptibility to discolouration and decay.”

The new standard

The first fresh product from pluQ has the potential to become the new standard for fresh, sliced mushrooms for the retail sector. Van Bakel: “The mushrooms are washed and are therefore ready to use. The production process is also efficient which allows us to offer the mushrooms for a considerably lower price than consumers are used to paying for fresh, processed mushrooms. This fresh concept responds to the consumer demand for attractively priced mushrooms that are quick and convenient to prepare.”

Research has shown that the pluQ fresh mushrooms tempt consumers to use mushrooms more frequently and to buy more. In other words, pluQ mushrooms offer the possibility of category growth.

Ambition

The brand new mushroom specialist pluQ is bursting with healthy ambitions. Van Bakel: “Our objective is to evolve into a leading international supplier of innovative mushroom concepts within a few years’ time. There is a market waiting to be conquered because of the sheer versatility of mushrooms. They are low in calories, rich in fibres and the only vegetable to be a source of pro-vitamin D. A super-vegetable! Extensive information about the healthy properties of mushrooms can be found at www.champignon-id.com.”

The initiators behind pluQ:

-      Limax

For more than 30 years, Limax has been a leading supplier of fresh mushrooms to retailers and procurement combinations, especially in the Netherlands, Germany and Scandinavia. On an annual basis, Limax markets approximately 16 million kilos of fresh mushrooms from its branches in the Netherlands and Poland.  Limax is originally a trading company, but it is nowadays also active in the production of compost and mushroom cultivation on its own farms.

-      Lutèce

With a processing capacity in excess of 100 million kilos of mushroom each year, Lutèce is the biggest supplier of preserved mushrooms in Europe. The wide range of high quality products includes mushrooms in jars, tins, buckets, polybags and pouches. Lutèce sells its products in more than 50 countries all over the world to retail and foodservice companies and industrial processors.

-      Prime Champ

With annual production of more than 25 million kilos of fresh mushrooms, Prime Champ is ranked among the top 10 cultivation companies in Europe. Prime Champ is one of few fully integrated growing and supply chain companies in Europe. All the links from compost production up to delivering packaged mushrooms are operated by Prime Champ. Prime Champ supplies to customers in the UK, Germany, Belgium, France and the Netherlands.

For more information, please contact:

Philip Tutt at 360° Integrated, tel. + 44 (0) 7785 718901, e-mail Philip@360integrated.com

or

Maikel van Bakel at pluQ, tel.  + 31 77-4728100, e-mail mvbakel@pluqmushrooms.com

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