The U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council is positioning the fruit as a performance food in Asia and highlighting its use in various savory applications with new efforts to increase sales.
The USHBC (USHighbush Blueberry Council) aims to sell more fruit in Asia by positioning blueberries as a performance food and targeting sports consumers.
"Everyone knows that blueberries are nutritious and rich in antioxidants, but all other fruits say the same thing, so there is not much distinction," Reji Retugal of USHBC told Fruitnet at Asia Fruit Logistica in early November. "Positioning blueberries as a sports food is different and exciting."
The council supports U.S. blueberries growers through promotional campaigns, data analysis, production forecasts and market research. In an effort to increase consumption of blueberries in Asia, it has also begun to highlight alternative uses of the fruit beyond traditional confectionery applications such as muffins, pancakes and cheesecake.
The new focus is on promoting the use of the fruit in savory applications, and several sauces have been developed to pair with foods such as roast turkey, barbecued meats, and even coffee. Inspired recipes include a ranch sauce at blueberries, a BBQ sauce at blueberries, a chimichurri at blueberries , and a pesto at blueberries.
Source:Fruitnet
Fruitnet is part of the NCX Media network.
