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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Business
Zoe Wood Consumer affairs correspondent

Scientists pour scorn on mushroom coffee, the latest ‘healthy’ food trend

A selection of different mushrooms on a tray
Holland & Barrett says searches on its website for ‘functional mushrooms’ are up 50% on a year ago. Photograph: Sarah Lee/The Guardian

Sipping mushroom coffee sounds like a weird camping trip anecdote but more Britons are embracing this alternative morning pick-me-up as “mushroom mania” sweeps the high street.

With the food industry eager to cash in on demand for “functional foods” that promise extra health benefits, medicinal mushrooms – not the button kind you put in a stew – are turning up in hot drinks, supplements and even beer.

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