Cherries more dynamic than blueberries and cranberries

Analyst Insight by Ewa Hudson, Head of Health and Wellness Research

Like a number of “superfruits”, cherries boast a formidable antioxidant content. However, it appears that they may have more specific health benefits to offer in a number of very promising growth areas, such as sports nutrition, pain management and combating sleeplessness.

Cherries are enjoying a surge in popularity. Euromonitor International's fresh food statistics show that global volume sales of fresh cherries rose by 17% over the 2006-2011 review period, outperforming other high-end fresh fruit “treats” like strawberries and grapes.   In 2011, cherries emerged as the second most dynamic fresh fruit category, achieving a 4% volume gain, ahead of cranberries/blueberries.

Global volume sales of cherries amounted to 1.3 million tonnes in 2011, which was only marginally below that of cranberries/blueberries and less than half of the volumes achieved by strawberries.  Although an ongoing hit with consumers, the market for fresh cherries remains constrained by both seasonality and a short shelf life. Unlike some types of berries, such as strawberries, blueberries and raspberries, which are also highly perishable but whose seasonality can be artificially prolonged, for example through the use of polytunnels, cherries only manage to make a comparatively short-lived annual appearance.

Luckily, in order to enjoy the taste and health benefits of cherries, consumers are not limited to eating them in their fresh state, but can resort to frozen, dried and powdered formats as well as drinking cherry juice. Needless to say, this inherent versatility is good news for a range of players engaged in the health and wellness industry.

Thanks to everyone who visited us at the Virgin London Marathon

More and more people have asked us about Cherry Juice and its virtues. We had 600 leaflets printed by Northumbria University Life Sciences. They went literally within the first few hours. So if anyone wants to check out the research you can find a link here. If it’s a bit too scientific visit www.choosecherries.co.uk for information on tart cherries.

The Choose Cherries stand was inundated with sampling requests during the 3 day event at London Excel as over 22,000 people sampled our tart cherry juice and wanted to know more about the benefits of tart cherries. We’ve obviously known about the benefits of this fruit for years but it’s good to know that the appetite for more information is increasing. Of course recent research helps the cause as it were.

Sleeping pills are not the answer

Insomnia is a prominent health issue.

Euromonitor International's consumer health data show that calming and sleeping products were the eighth most popular type of over the counter medication purchased in 2011 at a global level.

In February 2012, the prestigious British Medical Journal (BMJ) published a study which is bound to send droves of consumers searching for natural alternatives to hypnotics, the medical term for prescription sleeping pills.

Cherries and cherry products could well play a part in satisfying the growing need for natural sleeping aids. In August 2011, the European Journal of Nutrition published another piece of research backing up cherries' sleep-enhancing properties. Tart cherries, like the Montmorency variety used in this study, contain high levels of melatonin, a substance intricately involved in the regulation of human sleep patterns. The researchers concluded that the ingestion of tart cherry juice concentrate did indeed improve sleep duration and quality in healthy men and women.

Antioxidants and beyond…

As already alluded to, cherries are high in antioxidants. This goes particularly for tart cherries (also often referred to as “sour” cherries). Contrary to what one might expect, tart cherries have the same natural sugar content as sweet cherries but contain more sour and bitter tasting phytochemicals – the very substances which afford them their antioxidant prowess.

In recent years, several pieces of research have emerged which indicate that cherries may hold promise for three further – and potentially very popular – health and wellness applications. They may provide relief from pain and inflammation, act as a sleep aid and become a rising star in the area of sports nutrition.

You can read the full article here

Cherries - More than just antioxidants

Well it looks like the word on Cherries is finally starting to catch on.

Whilst many people have advocated the benefits of this particular fruit for a while it seems that more and more experts are now also looking at Cherries in a whole new - and it has to be said very positive light.

Market research group Euromonitor published a report last week which really starts to not only extol the virtues of this fruit but reveals some of the potent health benefits of cherries. While not currently common, analysts predict that it's only a matter of time before consumers begin to see cherries in more products as companies begin to pick up on the health benefits of the fruit.

You can read the full article here