As for blueberries, there is a noticeable gradual increase in foreign origin (Spain, Portugal, Romania, and Poland) as a direct consequence of the lower availability of Italian production. The same applies to raspberries: domestic production is decreasing, and there is a predominant presence of imported raspberries with high prices.
On the contrary, blackberries and redcurrants are exclusively of Italian origin – currently at peak production – and have competitive prices.
For all products, overall quality is generally good, and the batches tend to be fresh, although for raspberries in particular, high import prices result in the presence of slightly older batches and less satisfactory quality.
There is a strong presence of promotional offers and various packaging formats, especially for blueberries.
These are the main findings of the survey conducted today, July 16, 2025, in the urban area of Piacenza (Italy), involving 18 stores from 18 different banners belonging to 14 major retail groups.
The assortments were recorded in stores under the following banners: Aldi, Basko, Conad Superstore, Coop, Dpiù, ECU, Esselunga, Eurospin, Galassia, Gulliver, Il Gigante, In's, Ipercoop, Italmark, Lidl, MD, Penny, Sigma.
Assortment
In the berry category, the number of references per store ranged from a minimum of 1 to a maximum of 8, with an average of 4.2 references per store.
Among the 18 stores visited where berries were available: 78% offered raspberries, 100% blueberries, 67% blackberries, 17% redcurrants, and 22% mixed berry packs (Tris).
Range Width
Among the stores with berries in assortment, 6% offered only one reference; 33% offered 2 or 3 references; and the remaining 61% had 4 or more references available.
Quality
Quality refers to the health status of the product, measured by: absence of major defects; healthy product in less-than-ideal condition (not fresh, limp, shriveled, dull, lacking bloom); presence of damaged fruit and juice; presence of rotten fruit and mold.
The retail groups with the best quality were Aldi, Esselunga, and Lidl.
Retail Prices
Raspberries (20 observations): min. €14.65/kg, max. €26.00/kg, average €19.82/kg
Blueberries (48 observations): min. €9.20/kg, max. €24.90/kg, average €15.59/kg
Blackberries (14 observations): min. €11.92/kg, max. €22.00/kg, average €15.30/kg
Redcurrants (3 observations): min. €15.04/kg, max. €23.84/kg, average €19.04/kg
Mixed berries (Tris) (4 observations): min. €21.67/kg, max. €23.87/kg, average €22.50/kg
Overall (89 observations): min. €9.20/kg, max. €26.00/kg, average €16.92/kg.
Brands
A total of 30 brands of berries were recorded in the stores visited.
The brand with the highest average prices in the category was Jolife. The brand with the lowest average prices for blueberries was Moderna, followed by Tesori del Campo.
Packaging
33% of the recorded blueberry references were sold in 125-gram net weight packages.
