Fresh shiitake mushrooms on burlap

Shiitake powder in bulk: buying guide for food producers and private label brands

Short answer: shiitake (Lentinula edodes) is bought in bulk mainly as dried, ground powder and as ready-filled capsules. Unlike chaga, which the EU limits to food supplements, the shiitake fruiting body is not a novel food in food, so the powder can be used in regular food production as well as in food supplements. GOA Supply supplies organic shiitake powder from 10 kg and shiitake capsules from 20,000 pieces, wholesale and as private label.

What is shiitake?

Shiitake is the common name of Lentinula edodes, an edible mushroom widely used in Asian cooking. It is also listed under the older name Lentinus edodes, so you may see both names on specifications. Shiitake powder is made by drying the mushrooms and grinding them into a powder. It is ground mushroom, not an extract: nothing is removed or concentrated. That makes it a different raw material from shiitake extracts and from products based on shiitake mycelium, which have their own EU status (see below).

Shiitake forms at GOA Supply

Both shiitake products are available wholesale and as private label. The table shows what our product data states; other details are in the product specification, available on request.

Form Specification Order quantities Typical business use
Organic shiitake powder Dried and ground shiitake (Lentinula edodes); country of origin China; organic, vegan 10, 50 or 100 kg Soups, sauces and seasoning blends, food production, own capsule filling, repacking in retail sizes
Shiitake capsules Shiitake mushroom (Lentinula edodes) in vegetarian HPMC capsules; vegan, no fillers 20,000, 50,000 or 100,000 capsules Ready-filled capsules for supplement brands, webshops and pharmacies

What to check when you buy shiitake powder in bulk

  • Fruiting body, not mycelium. Ask the supplier to confirm in the specification that the powder is made from the fruiting body (the mushroom itself). This matters because dehydrated shiitake mycelium powder is a novel food without EU authorisation.
  • Cadmium. Regulation (EU) 2023/915 sets a maximum level for cadmium of 0.15 mg/kg for shiitake mushrooms. That level applies to the wet weight, so for dried powder the concentration caused by drying must be taken into account (Article 3). The same regulation sets maximum levels for food supplements: 3.0 mg/kg lead, 1.0 mg/kg cadmium and 0.10 mg/kg mercury. Ask for heavy metal results on the certificate of analysis and check them against the level that applies to your product.
  • Particle size. For sauces, soups and seasoning blends, a fine powder disperses more evenly; for capsule filling, the particle size affects flow and fill weight. Ask for the mesh or particle size in the specification.
  • Moisture and storage. Dried mushroom powder takes up moisture once a bag is open. Keep it closed, cool and dry, and reseal opened bulk bags well. Check the best-before date and storage conditions on the specification.
  • Organic certificate. GOA Supply is organic certified (NL-BIO-01) and our shiitake powder is organic. If you sell it as organic, check with your control body whether your own packing and labelling need certification under Regulation (EU) 2018/848.
  • Allergens. Shiitake is not one of the 14 allergen groups in Annex II of Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011. For your label, ask for an allergen statement that also covers cross-contact.

For our shiitake products, the specification and the certificate of analysis (CoA) are available on request.

EU regulation: shiitake is not a novel food, its mycelium is

The EU Novel Food Catalogue entry for Lentinula edodes (checked on 10 November 2026) gives three statuses:

  • Fruiting body and aqueous extract powder: not novel in food. They were consumed in the EU to a significant degree before 15 May 1997 and can be used in food and food supplements without novel food authorisation.
  • Dehydrated mycelium powder: novel food, not yet authorised.
  • Mycelial extract: authorised novel food. It is included in the Union list of Implementing Regulation (EU) 2017/2470, with its own specification and conditions of use. It is a different product from ground shiitake.

The French database Compl'Alim lists Lentinula edodes as authorised in food supplements and repeats the same distinction: dehydrated mycelium powder is an unauthorised novel food, while the sterile aqueous mycelial extract is an authorised novel food with its own conditions.

Shiitake as private label

We supply shiitake in bulk for your own packaging and label: powder in 10 to 100 kg or ready-filled capsules. Our capsules are filled by a contract manufacturer in the Netherlands. As the brand owner, you arrange:

  • the label, in a language that consumers in each country of sale easily understand;
  • the claims: only wording that complies with Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006;
  • for food supplements, the national notification: none in the Netherlands, a notification file via FOODSUP of the FPS Public Health in Belgium, a declaration via Compl'Alim in France and a notification to the BVL in Germany at the latest when the product is first placed on the market (§ 5 NemV).

If you use the powder as an ingredient in a regular food, such as a soup or seasoning, the general food labelling rules apply and no supplement notification is needed.

Ordering shiitake in bulk

  • Order quantities: powder in 10, 50 or 100 kg, capsules in 20,000, 50,000 or 100,000 pieces. Smaller quantities are possible on request.
  • Shipping: prices exclude shipping, and we can arrange transport. Orders are usually shipped within 1–2 weeks.
  • Documents: specification and CoA on request.

See all mushroom products in our mushroom collection, read how we work with brands on our private label page, and see our reishi buying guide for the same fruiting body versus mycelium question in reishi.

FAQ

Can shiitake powder be used in regular food products?
Yes. The shiitake fruiting body is not novel in food in the EU, so dried shiitake powder can be used in foods such as soups, sauces and seasoning blends as well as in food supplements.

Is shiitake mycelium the same as shiitake powder?
No. Shiitake powder is the ground fruiting body. Dehydrated mycelium powder is a novel food that is not authorised in the EU, while a specific shiitake mycelial extract is an authorised novel food with its own conditions.

Which cadmium limit applies to shiitake?
Regulation (EU) 2023/915 sets 0.15 mg/kg for shiitake mushrooms, on wet weight. For dried powder, the drying factor is taken into account; food supplements have their own limit of 1.0 mg/kg.

Where does your shiitake powder come from?
Our organic shiitake powder has China as country of origin. The full specification and a CoA are available on request.

Sources

Written by Florian Fermin, co-owner of GOA Supply.

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