mushrooms are an important food that is a valuable part of the human diet;

the production of mushrooms plays a significant role in the Nation’s economy in that mushrooms are produced by hundreds of mushroom producers, distributed through thousands of wholesale and retail outlets, and consumed by millions of people throughout the United States and foreign countries;

mushroom production benefits the environment by efficiently using agricultural byproducts;

mushrooms must be high quality, readily available, handled properly, and marketed efficiently to ensure that the benefits of this important product are available to the people of the United States;

the maintenance and expansion of existing markets and uses, and the development of new markets and uses, for mushrooms are vital to the welfare of producers and those concerned with marketing and using mushrooms, as well as to the agricultural economy of the Nation;

the cooperative development, financing, and implementation of a coordinated program of mushroom promotion, research, and consumer information are necessary to maintain and expand existing markets for mushrooms; and

mushrooms move in interstate and foreign commerce, and mushrooms that do not move in such channels of commerce directly burden or affect interstate commerce in mushrooms.

strengthen the mushroom industry’s position in the marketplace;

maintain and expand existing markets and uses for mushrooms; and

develop new markets and uses for mushrooms.