Unilever Mushroom Project Nets “Green” Award
13 Sep 2016 --- Unilever’s sustainable mushroom project in China recently picked up the Green Development Excellence Award at the 2016 Invest in Green Future Corporate Social Responsibility awards. Working alongside mushroom supplier in China, Shundi Foods, Unilever started developing the program in 2005 as part of its plan to localize production in the country.
The collaboration has significantly increased quality and capacity, and eliminated the use of pesticides. It is also helping Unilever to reach its target for sustainable sourcing.
As a result of bringing production in-house, Shundi provides 100 percent sustainable mushroom for Knorr products and controls sourcing, origin, processes and employee standards.
Director of sustainable sourcing, Giulia Stellari, spoke with FoodIngredientsFirst about the growing techniques of Knorr’s mushroom ingredient.
“Previously, farmers mixed pesticides into the casing soil to limit competing fungi from growing. We have replaced the chemical fungicides with a non-toxic steam treatment to sterilize the soil. This required setting up an enclosed environment to keep the casing soil clean and to prevent contamination by unwanted fungi.”
This has resulted in a 50 percent increase in yields, improved the quality of the crop and now zero pesticides and fungicides are used, adds Stellari. 
Growing one of the world’s most common double-spore mushrooms is a complex process that takes place in large sheds with highly controlled temperatures, pure water and gentle, natural sunlight. If these conditions aren’t right, growth time will slow and yields will decrease.
The quality of the soil also plays a crucial role. As part of the program, Shundi now uses compost made from manure and rice stalks collected from local smallholder farmers. This reuses what would otherwise be a waste product and provides farmers with additional income.
“The mushroom houses are based in a rice production area where farmers were previously burning the wasted rice stalks which resulted in air pollution. We are now able to use the rice stalks and manure as compost, while giving farmers an additional income.”
The manure and stalks are mixed with soil to form compost which is fermented twice to release vital nutrients. It is also sterilized with a non-toxic steam treatment to kill pests, weeds, bacteria, fungi and viruses.
The fresh mushrooms take about two months to fully grow and are delivered to local factories and processed immediately to lock in the goodness and nutrients.
Unilever is still in the first year of this new process and is confident its producing a superior product and the yield has already doubled. What are expectations for the rest of 2016 and going into 2017?
“The pilot project started at the end of 2014 and, following its success, the full program launched in 2015. We are working to continue to improve quality, increase yields, and ensure best practices are implemented throughout. By adopting sustainable farming practices, it has enabled us to grow mushrooms all year round rather than just over the winter period. This project is part of Unilever’s wider ambition to source 100 percent of our agricultural raw materials sustainably by 2020.”
Promoting “green” business and consumption is high priority for Shanghai, which is aiming to become a global center of science and technology innovation.
In May, Unilever said its sustainable brands including Knorr and Lipton were responsible for nearly half its growth, while 54 percent of consumers now want to buy more sustainably.
“We are delighted to have received this award. The program is a great example of how we can work with our suppliers and farmers to significantly improve quality and efficiency to meet market needs, and at the same time deliver environmental and social benefits to farmers and the local communities,” adds Stellari.
by Gaynor Selby
