USA: Cranberry consumption will continue to grow

26/04/2017

Since the global demand for blueberries grew an 40% between 2012 and 2016 and is expected to reach 657,7 million kilos at 2017, the US Highbush Blueberry Council (USHBC, Highbush Blueberry Committee of the United States) focuses on raising demand with the same trajectory. Cranberry consumption per capita in the United States grew by 599% in the 1994-2014 period - more than any other fruit or vegetable studied - and the latest USHBC study suggests that there is still more room for growth.

At the end of 2016, the USHBC carried out an evaluation of opportunities to study which consumption and business segments are the most adequate to absorb the growing volume of berries that reaches the market.

“We were pleased to discover that among the major fruits – bananas, strawberries, apples, grapes and citrus – blueberries are the only ones for which consumption is expected to increase in 2017,” says Mark Villata, executive director of the USHBC. "The study also helped us profile and expand our target consumers and businesses so we could focus on those with the greatest growth potential."

Space to grow

The big consumers consume more than 19 annual cups, they have between 25 and 45 years, they have children at home and belong to all kinds of ethnicities. Of this group, 73% considers blueberries part of their lifestyle, they deviate from their path to buy them and they take time to know the nutritional composition of foods that contain blueberries. It is expected that consumption of fresh and frozen cranberry in this segment will increase by 5% in 2017.

Moderate consumers consume from 6 to 18 annual cups and belong to all ages and ethnicities. It is expected that cranberries will become the sixth favorite fruit of these consumers to be the third in 2017. In this segment, consumption of fresh and frozen cranberry is expected to grow by 12% in 2017.

Strategies to increase demand

These key findings have influenced the USHBC's latest strategies to increase demand, including marketing campaigns aimed at moderate consumers and getting large consumers to influence moderate consumers to buy blueberries.

“Our summer campaign, which will launch in mid-March, will be based on these strategies, among others,” Villata announces. "We are developing new recipes and promoting them in ways that suit the needs of moderate consumers, from offering simple, visual recipe guides to collaborating with individuals and influencers of food and fitness that inspire confidence and can help make blueberries the favorite summer food for our target consumers.

Source: Blueberry.org