The Mushroom Council Fuels Cognitive Health Conversations at FNCE 2025 “Energize and Thrive” Event

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The Mushroom Council Fuels Cognitive Health Conversations at
FNCE 2025 “Energize and Thrive” Event

Mushrooms Are Food for Thought

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (November 10, 2025) — The Mushroom Council® helped fuel the conversation around food and cognition at this year’s Food & Nutrition Conference & Expo™ (FNCE®), sponsoring a featured segment at a sold-out invite-only “Energize and Thrive” brain health retreat in Nashville this fall.

More than 80 registered dietitians, media professionals, and nutrition influencers gathered for the exclusive event, designed to explore how food can support focus, energy, and overall well-being.

The Mushroom Council’s sponsored discussion highlighted mushrooms’ role in the MIND Diet and their connection to brain health and cognitive function.

Consumers are increasingly linking what they eat to how they think and feel. Mushrooms are a natural fit within the MIND Diet, offering nutrients like ergothioneine, an amino acid that is being examined for its role in brain health.

The segment highlighted mushrooms as a functional food: whole, nutrient-rich, and accessible. Fresh mushrooms were lauded for contributing to overall wellness with key nutrients such as B vitamins, selenium, and ergothioneine — a powerful amino acid that may help protect against chronic age-related diseases, including cognitive decline^[1].

“FNCE is where dietitians go to discover what’s next in food and nutrition,” said Amy Wood, President and CEO of the Mushroom Council. “Our sponsorship brought fresh attention to mushrooms’ wellness story and showed how whole foods like mushrooms can play a real, science-backed role in supporting brain health as part of the MIND Diet.”

Guests experienced an immersive tasting featuring fresh mushroom dishes, showcasing mushrooms’ versatility across cuisines and meal occasions. Attendees also got a sneak peek of the Mushroom Council’s new marketing initiative, “It’s Not Magic. It’s Mushrooms.”, which launches in 2026 with plans for increased Mushrooms 101 and nutrition education specifically for Millennial and Gen Z consumers.

[1] Beelman RB, Kalaras MD, Phillips AT, Richie JP Jr. Is ergothioneine a ‘longevity vitamin’ limited in the American diet? J Nutr Sci. 2020;11;9:e52.

About the Mushroom Council

The Mushroom Council is composed of fresh market producers and importers who average more than 500,000 pounds of mushrooms produced or imported annually. The mushroom program is authorized by the Mushroom Promotion, Research and Consumer Information Act of 1990 and is administered by the Mushroom Council under the supervision of the Agricultural Marketing Service. Research and promotion programs help to expand, maintain and develop markets for individual agricultural commodities in the United States and abroad. These industry self-help programs are requested and funded by the industry groups that they serve. For more information, visit mushroomcouncil.com.