25 January, 2021

Cooks Urged To Help ‘Killjoy’ Vegans By Embracing Plant-Based, Via Mush-Boom

Edited by B&T Magazine

Tired of being cast as “the killjoys” of every barbecue or the difficult ones at family dinners, vegans and vegetarians are calling for equality in 2021, urging cooks to stop being fearful and embrace plant-based—and Mush-Boom, Aussie-grown by Costa, is backing them all the way.

As part of its recent launch of Mush-Boom, a consumer-facing advocacy brand aimed at driving mushroom consumption, Costa—one of Australia’s leading growers, packers and marketers of fresh fruit and vegetables—is calling for Australians to give young veggie-lovers a break.

“We’re all for equality at the dinner table. Food should bring us together, not pull us apart, so we stand behind vegetarians and vegans everywhere,” Costa marketing and innovation manager – mushroom category Elisa Siliato said in a statement.

Catering for your meat-free mates has never been easier, but tradition has us conditioned to be thrown into a spin when a vego or vegan family member comes for lunch, Costa said.

“We’re asking Australians to swap out one of their weekly meat dishes for a mushroom dish this year to not only support the veggie-lovers, but broaden their recipe repertoire,” Siliato added.

Nutritionist, trainer, best-selling author and plant-based food advocate Luke Hines (pictured) is on board and said catering for vegetarians and vegans is simple, with myriad recipes to satisfy even staunch “meat heads”.

“I actually use giant portobello mushrooms as a steak equivalent,” Hines said. “I treat it just like a steak so that you get that same look and feel and texture.

“You give it a little bit of seasoning and salt; a little bit of extra virgin olive oil; sear it both sides on the grill and what you get are those incredible char marks that you would on a typical grilled steak.

“Even the meat-lovers will be absolutely loving it.”

Siliato said it was a natural fit to throw support behind the plant-based eaters who often copped the wrath of friends and family for not eating meat.

“With Mush-Boom, we’re showing everyone just how delicious mushrooms are, how great they are as an alternative to meat, how versatile they can be, and highlight how incredibly good for you they are,” she said.

Two and a half years in the making, Mush-Boom hit supermarkets and independent grocers across the country in late 2020 with a launch campaign, quirky logo and playful personality.

The brand highlights the versatility of each mushroom type, backed by a website loaded with recipes, information and inspiration.

The launch campaign also included partnering with social media influencers, PR, videos, recipe creation, in-store marketing, and social and web amplification.

Costa partnered with creative agency Principals for its Mush-Boom branding and marketing, and SUDDENLY for content.

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