Sainsbury's has become the first UK supermarket to sell "greener" mushrooms, grown without peat. The supermarket has begun selling carbon-friendlier produce, which is firmer and whiter than the traditional peat-grown version, and is expected to cut its peat usage by 20,465 tonnes a year.
The mushrooms, which come with a 'Grown without Peat' sign on the packaging, are produced using a casing layer of UK-sourced "natural recycled materials" developed by mushroom producer Monaghan, and by-products from agricultural industries.
They are set to roll out to over 200 of the supermarket's stores, representing a fifth of Sainsbury's mushrooms, and are available in the White Closed Cup 300g and White Baby Button 200g variants.
It is understood that peat-free mushrooms are also drier and have a longer shelf life of 11 days compared to the conventional peat-grown variant's 10 days.
Read more at Grocery Gazette.