It’s been a miserable start to 2026, with Scots hit by weeks of dull, damp weather and even less sunshine than usual.
That doesn’t just mean more time in raincoats and woolly hats – it means less Vitamin D.
That’s why Asda is championing long-term supplier Monaghan, a mushroom grower that not only sends around 15 tonnes of East Lothian mushrooms a week to Asda stores across Scotland, but uses its own UV process to enhance the nutritional content of its produce – dedicating a whole line of mushrooms to boosting Vitamin D.
Chief Commercial Officer, Monaghan, Adam Wilson said: “With Scotland’s climate, particularly after such an overcast winter, lots of people just aren’t getting enough of the ‘sunshine vitamin’.
“At Monaghan, we’ve fine-tuned our process to enhance Vitamin D2 content, producing a ‘Vitamin D’ variety – one of seven lines we supply to Asda.
“We have developed a unique UV-treatment, our mushrooms high in Vitamin D mimic the process that occurs when mushrooms are exposed to sunlight in their natural environment. By controlling the amount of light, we’re able to make sure the levels of Vitamin D are consistent and reliable.”
Research by health tech company Forth shows 50% of UK adults have below-optimum levels of Vitamin D, making foods naturally rich in the vitamin an increasingly important part of a balanced diet.
And according to Adam, Monaghan’s immunity-boosting ‘Vitamin D’ mushrooms taste just like “regular mushrooms”.
“The main difference is they have the benefit of providing 100% of the recommended daily amount of Vitamin D in just 100g of mushrooms,” he said.
“They offer a simple, everyday way for people to add more Vitamin D to their diets, and they’re available 365 days of the year. Much more reliable than the sunshine!”
Monaghan, which began as a small family-run operation in 1981, has grown from humble beginnings in Co Monaghan, Ireland, to have around 2,500 employees in the UK, Ireland and Canada, including at its East Lothian base in Scotland. Its partnership with Asda began 30 years ago, with Scottish-grown mushrooms supplied to the retailer for more than 25 years.
Ashley Connolly, Asda Scotland Local Buying Manager said: “Long-term partnerships like this one are incredibly important not just to Asda as a business, but to our customers. By working closely with trusted suppliers, we can be confident our shoppers have access to the very best in fresh, nutritious produce while we continue to support the growers behind it.”
Adam added: “Working with Asda for three decades, and supplying them with Scottish-grown mushrooms for more than 25, is something we’re immensely proud of. The partnership has grown with us and allowed us to continue supplying high-quality, locally-grown mushrooms week after week, year after year.
“My father Ronnie started the company from a room in his house in the 1980s, and now we supply 15 tonnes of mushrooms to Scottish Asda stores every week. Seeing how far the business has come while remaining family-led is hugely rewarding for us.”
