Cranberries?victory march stops at nothing

EWA HUDSON charts the progress of the cranberry from juice to packaged foods, and identifies some key considerations for future success

IN RECENT years, the status of the cranberry has soared from barely palatable to 搒uperfruit? Euromonitor International's fresh food data shows that global volume sales of fresh cranberries/ blueberries in retailers, foodservice and institutional channels grew by a commendable 20% (from 1.04 to 1.24 million tonnes) over the 2003-2008 review period, but it is safe to say that cranberries had it much tougher than blueberries. Unlike blueberries, which are nowadays found throughout mainstream grocery retailer outlets and which are avidly consumed au natural by an ever-increasing healthconscious, berry- popping public, the tartness of cranberries has proved a major impediment to their success as a healthy fresh fruit snack.

It all started with juice

The juice format, by virtue of permitting the addition of sweeteners, was instrumental in cranberries overcoming this hurdle. Arguably, it was the cranberry, together with the difficult-to-eat pomegranate, which gave birth to an entirely new juice category ?that of 搒uperfruit juice?or 搒uperjuice? The juice format makes the more challenging fruits not only palatable, but also highly convenient to consume. Euromonitor International's health and wellness data shows that value sales of naturally healthy superfruit juice climbed by 50% between 2002 and 2007, reaching US$2.2 billion in 2007. Cranberry juice is increasingly successful outside its North American 揾ome?market. For example, in the UK, cranberry juice is the most popular type of nectar (25-99% juice), accounting for 35% of off-trade volume sales in 2008, and the same goes for Ireland, where cranberry products accounted almost half of nectar sales. In Israel, cranberry juice's share of offtrade nectar volume sales shot from virtual obscurity in 2005 to almost 6% in 2008.

Treasure chest of health benefits

Cranberry juice's roaring success is in no small part being fuelled by manufacturers employing the health and wellness positioning as a marketing platform. Cranberries?most distinctive and most highly publicized health benefit pertains to their application in preventing urinary tract infections (UTIs). The cranberry contains natural plant compounds termed proanthocyanidins (PACs), which are believed to stop harmful bacteria from sticking to the inside of the bladder wall, thus preventing infection. UTIs are a very common female ailment. According to the New England Journal of Medicine, over half of all women suffer from at least one UTI during their lifetime. Recurring UTIs can be very debilitating to live with, and instead of routinely resorting to antibiotics, which are often ineffective, many have adopted cranberry juice as the natural remedy of choice. Other less highly publicized health benefits include the prevention of peptic ulcers caused by helicobacter pylori infection (again through the anti-adhesive action of cranberry compounds preventing the attachment and spread of this bacterium in the digestive tract), dental health (including the prevention of gum disease and cavities), heart-health benefits and anti-ageing properties. The latter two benefits are chiefly attributed to cranberries?high antioxidant content, quantified by the USDA as 1,750 ORAC (Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity) units per 100g of fresh fruit ?an impressively high value when compared to around 700 for oranges, 950 for broccoli and 1,250 for raspberries. Current research focuses on cranberries?potential anti-cancer action, as well as brain protective qualities.

A dried cranberry is a versatile cranberry

The cranberry's rise to superfruit stardom in the juice domain has served to facilitate its entry into the packaged fSOCIETY