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| Consumer Trends |
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| Move Over, Broccoli! Blueberries Steal the Health Show |
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It's enough to make broccoli jealous! For years, research professionals and medical experts were trumpeting humble broccoli for its health-giving potential. Then, in the world of produce awareness, along came blueberries.
Now, as scientists seem each day to uncover new potential within the tiny spheres, blueberries gobble up media headlines. Major media outlets from the Wall Street Journal to USA Today to Woman’s Day have caught the buzz. In Europe, at the start of 2002, Time magazine termed blueberries “little blue jewels,” when it listed them among ten foods that might be able to help prevent disease. In August 2004, a USDA researcher added another tier to the tower of blueberry power.
"We are excited to learn that blueberries, which are already known to be rich in healthy compounds, may also be a potent weapon in the battle against obesity and heart disease," said study leader Agnes M. Rimando, Ph.D., in a news release from the American Chemical Society.
Thankfully, you don't have to understand science to enjoy the benefits blueberries offer. So blueberries and blueberry flavor dapple the marketplace increasingly—even outside the customary bakery marketplace.
Within the Mintel Global New Products Database: blueberry yogurts debuted in 16 countries, from Europe to Japan to Israel to Eastern Europe, while blueberry gum emerged in Japan, Mexico, and Taiwan. A German confection featured crunchy flakes covered with white chocolate and blueberry pieces. China chomped on savory blueberry potato snacks. The U.K. sipped blueberry-based cognac liqueurs. Sweden spooned rice pudding with raspberries and blueberries. and breakfast variety packs in Malaysia included wholegrain oats with blueberries.
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