Blueberry Containing New Products Rise in 2016

2016 was an active year for North American new product development.   Mintel Global New Product GNPD -- the research service which monitors new products reported 825 new blueberry products introduced in the USA and Canada.  We are not back to the 1000 plus new products in 2010 to 2012 -- but this is a good sign that products are moving from the R & D labs to the market.

Here are some of my favorites:

Ancient Grains are showing up everywhere including quinoa, tef from Ethiopia and chia.  More and more of these ancient grain products are teamed with blueberries.  The snack sector is using more and more dehydrated blueberries in products from nut mixes to extruded snacks.

Drinkable yogurts such as Kefir and Indian Lassis are popular all over Europe and the Middle East and are not popularized in North America. Blueberries are a natural flavor attraction and already we have seen dozens of new blueberry Kefirs in 2017!

More and more Greek style yogurts feature blueberries.  

Check out the latest television commercial from Fage, a trendsetting company. 

https://www.ispot.tv/ad/Ahd6/fage-yogurt-nothing-more-never-less-blueberry?autoplay=1

https://www.ispot.tv/ad/A19I/fage-total-yogurt-blueberry

Chocolate covered blueberries are now mainstream.  note the new label which proclaims "Real Blueberries!"

Pet food use of blueberries continues to soar.  This package has all of the right buttons-- Made in the USA and made with real blueberries!

Welcome to some of these innovative products and designs.  And thanks for using real blueberries.

 

Finally a really great tasting blueberry beer.  A lot depends on personal taste, but this one has a great blueberry flavor and aroma which is synergistic to the wheat ale.  It took a collaboration between a New Orleans brewer and local grower to pull this one off.

European Food Tech Magazine Features USA Highbush Blueberries

The top food technology magazine of Europe -- Food Marketing & Technology (FM&T) featured highbush blueberries in its January Ingredient special.   Topics covered include inclusion of blueberries with ancient grains, and beauty ingredients and the use of blueberries in sweets and savories.  Thanks to our great editorial friends Benno Keller and Ian Haley  for continued support of highbush blueberries.   Benno visits the USA each year attending the Institute of Food Technologists meeting and always spends quality time with his blueberry friends.  The publication is read by food processors from throughout Europe and the Middle East and has an online version and web.


Food Marketing and Technology Article   click to read.

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Dynamo Awards Featured in Korean Food Magazine

The December 2016 Little Blue Dynamos awards in Seoul were a big deal for the fruit trade.  Here is an article in the Food News!

Latin American Food Industry Discovers Blueberries

Food manufacturers from throughout Latin America are churning out world-class new Delete repeated word containing blueberries.  While in the past most developments were from US companies and affiliates -- we are seeing new blueberry items from local companies including Grupo Bimbo -- a Mexican company which is now the leading bakery group in the USA.  Now blueberries are used as ingredients all over  Latin America including most of the countries including those with local blueberry production.  USHBC has been promoting blueberries in Mexico for the past 15 years and now conduct regional activities in the region including food tech and bakery expositions to spur blueberry product development.

Here are some interesting developments in 2016!

Blueberry cake from Colombia

E-Wong is a large Peruvian company.

New Yogurt product from Brazil

Blueberry Breakfast Cookie from Mexico

Yoplait Drinking Yogurt - Mexico

Mexico produced Blueberry Cereal

Chia and blueberry jam - Argentina

Blueberry drink, Brazil

India Promotions at High End Grocery Chain

Check out this successful promotion by Anusaya Fresh -- India!  Congratulations to Don Van de Werken and Dinesh Shinde from Anusaya Fresh.  The promotions were held at the Food Hall which is an upscale grocery chain in Delhi and Mumbai.

Asian New Blueberry-Containing Products Strong in 2016

Asian food processors continue to utilize blueberries in new-consumer products.  In 2016, Mintel Global Product Reports recorded more than 1,000 new blueberry containing products in 15 countries. Most are countries where USHBC has conducted food tech promotions.

The leading countries are: 
China - 238
South Korea - 216
Japan - 132
India - 97
Indonesia - 69
Thailand - 56
Taiwan - 44
Singapore - 43
Hong Kong - 41
Malaysia - 36
Vietnam - 27
Philippines 25
Myanmar - 15
Pakistan - 10
Sri Lanka

Interesting New Product Developments:

This product from Japan uses real blueberry flakes.  It is now produced all over Southeast Asia including this version produced in Malaysia.

Here is another example of a popular Korean product manufactured in North China.  Very tasty and popular. 

Asians have a strong belief in the connection between blueberries and healthy eyesight.  This new product from Wakasa Seikatsu is called "healthy eyesight."  This concept has been around a long time -- but this product is novel as it is called "blueberry" not "bilberry."

20 years ago we were told that Chinese will not drink milk.  Now dairy is a rising mega-category.  Here is a blueberry "lassi" product "borrowed" from India.

Babies reign supreme in Asia and there is nothing too good for the "little emperor or empress."  Here is a baby food made from freeze dried blueberries.

Stay tuned for more examples of new blueberry-containing products from abroad.

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