The concept of superfruits and vegetables - foods that contain high levels of disease-fighting nutritional compounds - is having a large impact on the fresh produce industry.
Eighteen of the top 20 cancer-fighting foods listed in a recent survey by the World Cancer Research Fund were fruits and vegetables, including cabbage, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, carrots, spinach, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, watercress and strawberries.
But this report is just part of a raft of research and media reports which suggest there is an elite group of fresh produce items we should all be consuming to boost our well being.
Inevitably, as the column inches promoting these foods have grown, so too has the list of fruits and vegetables laying claim to this status - from berries and citrus to cruciferous vegetables and leafy salads.
Karl Crawford from New Zealand-based fruit science company HortResearch thinks that while superfruits may be defined as any fruit with demonstrated health benefits, true superfruits need to meet a more detailed criteria: “There are five key criteria for superfruit success: novelty, health benefits, convenience, controlled supply and promotion,” he says. “I don’t believe consumers have ever been more ready to accept superfruits and superfruit-based foods.”
One of the pioneers in this respect is the blueberry. What was until relatively recently considered first and foremost a tasty muffin component now enjoys a burgeoning fresh market and aptly shows the value of the superfood label. The blueberry market’s growth over a very short period has been staggering - perhaps the most impressive of any fruit or vegetable in such a short time, certainly in recent years.
According to the latest TNS Worldpanel data for the 52 weeks ending in December 2006, UK blueberry expenditure value rose by 55.5 per cent, to £23 million. Figures suggest that nearly 45 per cent more people are now buying blueberries compared to this time last year.
Some 3,991 tonnes of blueberries were sold in the UK in 2006, and purchasing patterns mirror those worldwide; sales of blueberries rose from just over £20,000 in 2004 to more than £64,000 in 2006 - an increase of 216 per cent.
Inevitably, this has resulted in a huge surge in cultivation of the berry across the world, and this is something the UK is preparing to capitalise on, according to Lucy Ridgwell from Sputnik Communications - the agency behind the British Summer Fruits and winter berries campaigns “The majority of these sales are imported blueberries, however, production levels, of UK blueberries are set to massively increase - by at least 50 per cent next year- as crops planted a few years ago begin to fruit in greater volumes,” she says.
Chile, a major source of imported blueberries, is currently enjoying the berry’s increase in popularity. The US is the country’s major market for blueberries, but exports to Europe are increasingly strong, rising 81 per cent in the 2006-07 season. Within Europe, the UK is the dominant market for Chilean blueberries, and has seen an increase of more than 104 per cent compared to 2005-06. “Chile is experiencing phenomenal growth in blueberry cultivation,” says Lianne Jones from the Chilean Fresh Fruit Association (CFFA). “In less than a decade, blueberry cultivation has developed as one of the star products of Chilean fresh produce exports. While the sector exported $17m of blueberries in 1998, last year this reached $119m, making blueberries the fourth [most important] export product of the country.”
But it is not just blueberries enjoying success on the back of super status. Berries of all types are seeing sales increases. Last year the whole category’s sales grew by 17 per cent, with strawberries up 7.5 per cent and raspberries, blackberries and blueberries up by between 20-86 per cent. This follows a steady rise in sales in recent years.
“Although the dramatic growth of strawberries in the last four years seems to be slowing down, we don’t expect their growth to drop below 10 per cent per annum,” says Jayson Clark of AMS Marketing, the marketing office of Wellpict European. “We expect the current growth levels in raspberries, blueberries and blackberries to continue to increase as strawberry customers trade up to other berry varieties.”
An interesting aspect of the berry phenomenon is the change in demographic profile of their customer base. Their role is changing from one of delicacy to snack. “With the rise of their reputation as a superfood, berries are being bought by an ever wider range of consumers,” Clark says. “In addition to the wealthier, more traditional customer that has always bought berries, new customers are flocking to buy berries including younger and health-orientated individuals. There is also a growing tendency for supermarkets to promote berries as a healthy convenient snack. For the first time, the masses are really buying into berries - traditionally berries were always a luxury item, whereas now they are becoming an everyday purchase.”
Crawford agrees. He says that, while traditionally present in the shopping baskets of the well-off, superfoods are beginning to transcend socio-economic boundaries: “One of the exciting things about superfruits is that they actually have the potential to break that connection between wealth, education and health. Right now, while superfruits and superfruit foods are a relatively new concept, they sell for a premium price and are essentially a speciality food that a consumer has to look for in-store. But as the phenomenon grows, these fruits and foods will become more common, prices will drop and you’ll see superfood ingredients in a lot more mainstream products.”
Jones is also seeing the blueberry customer profile begin to change. Working to promote the taste and goodness of blueberries further still, the CFFA has recently embarked on a campaign called Eat the Blues. The campaign tours the UK giving out samples of Chilean blueberries. “I think the main types of consumers that are buying blueberries are from the ABC1 profile group, mainly 20-30-something women who are health conscious. But from Eat the Blues, we found a lot of men sampling the blueberries and enjoying them, as well as a lot of interest from the “grey pound”, who were particularly interested in their health benefits,” she says.
It seems berries’ mass appeal began when they were first highlighted as a superfood. Ridgwell says sales of berries have been rising for the past 11 years, but they experienced exponential growth since 2003 when the marketing campaign began, led by media spokesperson Patrick Holford. “He helped kick-start the repositioning of berries from luxury dessert items into every day, any-time-of-day, healthy fruits by deeming berries the “superfoods of the century” due to their high levels of essential vitamins and minerals. The word then began appearing frequently in the media,” she says.
Where some fruits and vegetables are relatively new to the superfoods game, watercress claims to be the original. Records of the leafy vegetable being consumed for its medicinal value date back to the 16th century when it was used in medicinal tonics. In recent years, the health benefits of watercress have been officially proven, and more recently promoted as part of a campaign by the Watercress Alliance - a consortium of UK producers which came together in 2003.
“Before this time, the nutritional benefits of watercress were not well known, but a campaign entitled ‘Not just a bit on the side’ began in 2003 to raise awareness that this vegetable is far too nutritionally important to be used just as a garnish,” says a spokesperson for the Alliance.
Figures suggest that this promotion has aided sales - the watercress market has seen a 44 per cent growth since 2002. “It is difficult to say what part being a superfood played in this. Before the Watercress Alliance began to actively promote watercress, there was little information available on its health benefits,” the spokesperson says. “The superfood label helped to capture the attention of consumers and the media, but it is one of the many benefits of watercress - it is also tasty, versatile and nutritious.”
Building its health credentials further, the Alliance has funded a two-year study by Ulster University into the role watercress has to play in the fight against cancer, results of which are to be announced in February.
The latest superfood to emerge is mushrooms, which gained super status last year. Though not characterised by a deep colour, as many superfoods appear to be, new research published last year proves them worthy of superfood footing along with the usual suspects. “While some foods, such as broccoli and tomatoes, are well known for their health properties, it seems that white mushrooms had been overshadowed, especially by their more exotic cousins such as shiitake and oyster, which have been revered by herbalists for centuries,” says Andrew Middlebrook, chairman of The Mushroom Bureau. “However, a study last year from America’s Pennsylvania State University allowed white mushrooms to take centre stage as the new superfood, after researchers discovered they are a prime source of a powerful antioxidant L-Ergothioneine.”
The research was detailed in the Bureau’s report from 2006 entitled Mushrooms - The New Superfood, compiled by leading nutritionists. It brings together research from around the world into the health benefits and nutritional value of the agaricus bisporus mushroom, which accounts for 95 per cent of mushroom sales in the UK and includes white mushrooms, such as button, closed cup, open cup and large flat; and brown mushrooms, chestnut, champignon marron, crimini and portabello.
Continuing the promotion further, the Mushroom Bureau website will be re-launched with a contemporary new look. There will be a strong focus on summer eating with Mushrooms - the magic ingredient for summer booklet, compiled by a leading nutritionist, targeting young, health-conscious consumers. Other new initiatives will maintain the profile of mushrooms throughout the year in the consumer media, according to Middlebrook.
While bringing attention to the fresh produce arena, the advent of superfoods and their media favour has raised concerns that mainstream fruits and vegetables could be left in their wake. However, the Watercress Alliance does not think so. “It is the overall benefits of a balanced diet that helps us most, but some foods pack more of a nutritional punch than others - watercress being one such example,” says the spokesperson. “Continued education of consumers on the benefits of eating a healthy and varied diet will ensure that ‘standard’ fruit and vegetables do not lose out in the long term.”
But equally, the promotion of superior health properties appears to be succeeding where government-led schemes like 5 A DAY have failed in having a tangible effect on promotion consumption of these fruits and vegetables. In that vein, most would agree that growers, marketers and publicists who have jumped on the superfoods bandwagon should be congratulated for their work in highlighting the link between fresh produce and healthy living and hope that it will increase total fresh produce consumption in the long term. “Scientific research into health properties of fruit and vegetables is a reflection of consumer interest in this area. Any activity which raises further awareness of how and why particular foods are superfoods, is a positive step for the industry,” Middlebrook says.
But, as is the nature of consumer trends, there is a danger of people losing interest. With so many fruits and vegetables now laying claim to being super, the term could become tired and lose its value. “The term superfood is over-used in this industry,” says Jones. “Everyone knows that fruit and vegetables are healthy and that they should eat them regularly but the challenge is in getting consumers to act on this. In my opinion, there is too much emphasis on educating consumers about healthy eating and sending out a plethora of mixed messages; and not enough projects to convert them to healthy eating.”
The Blackcurrant Foundation is very aware of the term’s liberal use and is seeking to get blackcurrants officially recognised for their superior health benefits. The fruits are packed with anthocyanins - an antioxidant which gives them their rich purple colour and can protect against a myriad of ills, including cardiovascular disease and ageing, according to Jo Hilditch, chairman of the Foundation. “The darker the blackcurrant, the more anthocyanin it contains and the better it is for you,” she explains. “British blackcurrants are grown and bred especially for their deep colour, making them especially good for you.” They also contain high levels of vitamin C - around three times of an orange, weight for weight.
By promoting these attributes, the Foundation hopes to further raise the profile of blackcurrants.
Research is currently being carried out by the Scottish Crop Research Institute (SCRI) for the Foundation, which indicates that British blackcurrants have more health-promoting properties than 10 other popular fruits commonly labelled as superfoods. It will also rank a number of popular fruits in terms of their superfoods credentials. This research will be available very soon. “With a vast number of products claiming to be ‘super’ it will be interesting to see if these claims are substantiated in the future,” says Hilditch. “The research we are conducting at the moment to create a clear definition of superfoods should hopefully add credibility to the superfood food group. If the term is used loosely and without guidance, it starts to lose value because it could be applied to anything. The research from the SCRI will give some clearer guidelines on what should be labelled as a superfood. Hopefully superfoods will drive sales and consumption of all fruit and vegetables as part of an overall desire to improve eating habits.”
Crawford thinks that while its overuse may result in a loss of impact, consumers will always want extra value from their fruit and this is something superfoods will always be able to offer: “Now that the superfruit label is being so widely used in marketing there is a possibility that the brand will lose some of its power, but the fundamentals behind superfruits will remain unchanged - consumers will always want more from fruit and fruit products. The name doesn’t really matter, so long as consumers are getting what they want.”
So, it seems rather than adding to the pile of food fads, advocates of superfoods are convinced they are here to stay: “As new superfoods are recognised and publicised, public focus may switch away from one product to another,” says Clark. “So long as the benefits of superfood scontinue to live up to their reputation, they will continue to be in high demand.”
No comments yet