Superfruits at Tipping Point

A national consumer study conducted by The Cherry Marketing Institute in March 2011 indicated the incredible range of food products featuring superfruits such as strawberries, blueberries and cherries. These superfruit foods come in single-serve containers, are easily eaten out of home and are available nearly everywhere. None of these products use fresh, perishable fruit; instead, they depend on dried and frozen fruit and, to a lesser degree, juice. Importantly, they are consumed with great frequency and span all day parts, from an early-morning scone to a dinner salad to a late-night yogurt parfait.

 Not surprisingly, strawberries show up most frequently in smoothies, and raisins in oatmeal cookies," says Jeff Manning, chief marketing officer. However, the study had surprises. Cranberries popped up in green salads, blueberries dominated muffins, and cherries seem to have the greatest potential across moist foods."

Following are more highlights from the study:

  Nearly 90% of those surveyed consumed dried fruit in the past month, with all types of dried considered nutritious. Dried blueberries, cranberries and cherries scored the highest.

  Cold cereal and refrigerated yogurt were the most frequently consumed superfruit foods. Yogurt-based foods appear to be the most important carriers of superfruits.

  Foods consumed without fruit commanded a sizeable portion with around 60% of consumers reporting some plain usage. However, superfruits have made inroads, e.g., 74% said theyve eaten muffins with blueberries, and 59% have eaten frozen yogurt with strawberries.

  Consumers were asked about their interest in eating a range of foods with superfruits.  The scale was from 1 to 9, with 9 being extremely interested. Some highlights follow:

o With the exception of raisins, all scores, including cherries, were in the 7 range for scones.

o Strawberries were the big winners in yogurt, cereal and smoothies. However, blueberries and cherries scored high in the yogurt category.

The future looks extremely positive for dried-fruit-and-nut mixes. Clearly, this combination delivers consumer demand for healthy, high-antioxidant snacks.

Looking forward, consumers are sending a clear signal that they intend to eat more foods with superfruit ingredients," Manning notes.

This research also explored the potential for cherries. In every category, from scones to green salad, cherries are primed to grow. The largest potential lies in baked goods, energy and granola bars, and yogurt-based foods.

This research strongly suggests that dried fruit has almost unlimited potential as an ingredient," Manning says. My bet is that dried fruits will steal significant share from the fresh market over the next decade."

The Cherry Marketing Institute

P.O. Box 30285

Lansing, MI 48909

Phone: 517-669-4264

Email: [email protected]

Website: choosecherries.com