Production and consumption of specialty mushroom in the USA and other western countries is expected to increase at an accelerated rate in the years to come (Farr 1983, Royse 1997, 2001, 2003). As production technology is improved through interdisciplinary efforts, the retail price for specialty mushrooms should decrease. As economies improve in Latin America, production of specialty mushrooms could increase at an even faster rate than in the United States. The culinary advantages offered by specialty mushrooms bode well for the continued growth and development of the specialty mushroom industry worldwide.
