Research minimizes effects of federal produce standards on mushroom industry

Steam rises from heat generated during initial steps of composting ingredients to make mushroom-growing substrate. Penn State research has shown the process kills pathogens. UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. Strict requirements on the use of animal manures in fresh produce production imposed by the new federal food-safety law threatened to adversely impact the mushroom industry, which relies on horse and poultry manure for a specialized growth substrate. But a new study shows that heat generated during the traditional composting process - originally developed to kill insect and fungal pests of mushrooms - is adequate for eliminating human pathogens that might be present, according to researchers in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences. As a result of those findings, which were published in a recent issue of the Journal of Food Protection, there will be no restrictions on the mushroom industry composting process, noted co-author Luke LaBorde , associate professor of food science and Penn State Extension specialist in farm food safety. LaBorde called the Food Safety Modernization Act the most sweeping reform of U.S. food safety laws in more than 70 years.