According the report released on August 20, 2013 by the National Agricultural Statistics Service, mushroom sales in the United States reached 1.1 billion last year in 2012-13. Yes, I said BILLION. And last season, mushroom sales exceeded 1 billion in value for the THIRD consecutive year.
Out of the 1.1 billion mushrooms sold in the last season, only 1/4 were organic (26.2 million), which means 75% of the mushrooms sold have potentially be exposed to some sort of chemicals, pesticides, or herbicides. Unfortunately, fungi absorbs the chemicals they are exposed to and channels those chemicals and heavy metals into their fruiting bodies, which are mushrooms. This is the reason it is important to eat mushrooms grown organically. For more information, see our blog Eat Mushrooms Only Grown Organically. The problem is that organic mushrooms are rarely sold in stores, and when they are, the cost can be absolutely prohibitive. Our solution: grow your own mushrooms at home to ensure that they are grown organically. What better way is there to eat organic mushrooms on a regular basis than to cultivate your own right at home?
National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), Agricultural Statistics Board, United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), August 2013