Studies show and the industry confirms that berries continue to increase in popularity, particularly blueberries and blackberries.

“For blueberries and blackberries, demand this year has been exponentially higher than it has ever been in the past,” said Eric Crawford, president, Fresh Results LLC, Sunrise, Fla.

The company continues to seek new growers and production for blueberries and blackberries because they often fall short on what they need.
Mark Villata, executive director, U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council, Folsom, Calif., said the numbers all point to a continued increase in production to meet demand. In 2013, North America produced 682 million pounds of blueberries, and in 2014, the estimate was 744 million pounds of blueberries. This year, the numbers should continue to go up because new plants are becoming more mature and producing more berries.

According to the U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council, a 2013 study concluded that consumers are two times as likely as they were nine years ago to buy blueberries and the number of households saying they’ve purchased blueberries within the past month (69%) has nearly doubled since 2008.

State of the Plate 2015, the Produce for Better Health Foundation’s study on America’s consumption of fruits and vegetables, also reported an increase in berry consumption. The report states children of all ages are consuming more fruit, and that berries, bananas, apples and oranges are driving this increase. Also, adults ages 18-44 are eating more fruit at breakfast, specifically berries and bananas.

The Packer

05/07/2015