Completed project
Evaluating existing and potential ergocalciferol (vitamin D2) health claims for mushrooms (MU22004)
Publication date: October 24, 2022
Delivery Partner: Nutrition Research Australia
In 2022, this project summarised the nutrition content and health claims that can be made about vitamin D in mushrooms that meet the Food Standards Code so that mushrooms can be credibly and legally promoted as a key source of vitamin D to consumers.
Mushrooms can be a valuable source of vitamin D and there is opportunity to communicate this direct to the customer via food labelling and advertisement.
To make a claim about vitamin D, a food must contain at least 10 per cent of the Recommended Daily Intake listed in Schedule 1 of the Food Standards Code. The Recommended Daily Intake for vitamin D is 10 ug cholecalciferol (vitamin D3). It is unclear if mushrooms are eligible for a vitamin D claim because they uniquely provide ergocalciferol (vitamin D2) and contain 0 (zero) cholecalciferol.
The approach consisted of four steps:
A report with legal assessment and scientific substantiation was developed, where it was found that vitamin D claims on mushrooms can be made in advertisement and labelling with a very low risk of breaching the Food Standards Code. A food regulations workshop and claims guidance document were developed for the industry to help utilise this information. Four recommendations to maximise vitamin D claims for mushrooms have also been provided.
This project was a strategic levy investment in the Hort Innovation Mushroom Fund
© 2026 Horticulture Innovation Australia Limited.
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