WA awaits vitamin D enriched mushrooms

Vitamin D-enhanced mushrooms are about to arrive on supermarket shelves in WA.

Just two Australian producers are using a new technique to mimic nature, by passing the mushrooms under a UV light.

Only two to three seconds is all it takes for the mushrooms to generate in excess of the daily recommended intake for vitamin D.

General manager of the Australian Mushroom Grower's Association, Greg Seymour, says mushrooms are just like humans when it comes to making their own vitamin D.

"The light turns the Ergosterol, which is a unique property in the mushroom into vitamin D2, just as it would do in nature," he says.

"The mushrooms should be at the Perth market start of July. Distribution will be fairly limited at first, but if people go to their local retailer and ask for them, they should be able to source them out of the Perth market."

He says if the demand is there, the growers will start producing more.

"We're starting to see the production from existing mushroom growers getting bigger.

"The industry has grown from $200 million back in 2002 to about $420 million now.Ten years ago about 34 per cent of the population were eating mushrooms and now we're up to 78 per cent of Australians who eat mushrooms on a regular basis."

Accredited Practising Dietitian Glenn Cardwell says 100 grams or three button mushrooms a day is "the perfect dose".