In the fresh produce sections of large-scale retail stores in Verona, shelves are not well-stocked with berries due to their high prices. In particular, raspberries and red currants remain the most expensive in the category, followed by blackberries, which also have relatively high prices.
Blueberries, on the other hand, are more competitively priced. However, the quality of Chilean blueberries is starting to decline, with larger packaging formats (250-300 and 500 grams) showing signs of spoilage, indicating the end of the season.
For other berry products, quality standards remain good, though some products tend to be less fresh due to high prices. These are the findings of the Berry Retail Monitor, which took place today, February 26, 2025, in Verona.
Today, the monitor analyzed 16 retail stores from 16 different brands, belonging to 14 supermarket groups in Verona. The brands examined include: Aldi, Conad, Esselunga, Eurospar, Eurospin, Famila, Galassia, iN's, Iper La Grande I, Lidl, Martinelli, MD, Migross, Prix, Rossetto, and Spazio Conad.
Assortment
In the stores visited, the number of berry product references ranged from a minimum of 1 to a maximum of 6, with an average of 3.6 references per store. The assortment percentages in stores were as follows:
- Raspberries: 81%
- Blueberries: 100%
- Blackberries: 50%
- Red currants: 19%
- Mixed berry packs (tris): 31%
Product Range
- 12% of stores with berries in stock offered only one reference.
- 44% had two or three references available.
- The remaining 44% had four or more references.
Quality
Quality was assessed based on the health of the product, measured in terms of:
- Absence of major defects
- Freshness, including whether the product appeared tired, shriveled, dull, or lacking bloom
- Presence of damaged berries and juice leakage
- Presence of spoiled berries and mold
The groups identified as having the highest quality berries were: Aldi, Conad, Despar Italia, Esselunga, Finiper, and Lidl.
Retail Prices
Berry prices varied significantly:
- Raspberries: Average €28.37/kg (min. €23.92/kg – max. €31.84/kg)
- Blueberries: Average €15.31/kg (min. €9.98/kg – max. €28.64/kg)
- Blackberries: Average €25.24/kg (min. €21.20/kg – max. €28.72/kg)
- Red currants: Average €33.25/kg (min. €31.84/kg – max. €36.00/kg)
- Mixed berry packs (tris): Average €23.01/kg (min. €21.67/kg – max. €25.20/kg)
A total of 61 price surveys were conducted, with an overall average price of €21.50/kg.
Brands
The analyzed stores carried berries from 18 different brands. Naturama had the highest average prices in the category.
For blueberries, the lowest average prices were found under the Slomp brand, followed by Aldi.
Packaging
- 45% of blueberry references were sold in 125-gram packages.
