Health-Conscious Baby Boomers Love Those Blueberries
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Blueberry season is about to dawn in Northern California, bringing with it the promise of a healthy, long life embedded in the tiny, sweet orbs.
And the most likely to sweep them off the shelves are baby boomers searching for that fountain of youth.
“I’m trying to eat healthier,” said Nancy Paddock, 56, as she snatched up a half-pint container at the Sacramento Natural Foods Co-op this week. “I think people are a little more aware of what they eat.”
The nearly $8 price tag hardly made the blueberry fan blink.
Demand from those in the 45- to 50-year-old range – who tend to be more engrossed in nutritional benefits – is driving up the production of blueberries, said Mark Villata, executive director of the U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council based in Folsom.
“It’s the health halo that surrounds blueberries,” he said.
Overall, the 4.8-ounce national per-capita-consumption of fresh blueberries in 1997 nearly doubled in 10 years to 9.2 ounces in 2007.
Even more dramatic is California’s rise in blueberry production: California farmers produced 16.5 million pounds in 2007, up from 1.4 million pounds in 2002, Villata said, making it the fifth highest producing blueberry state.
The council does not specifically track consumption by age, but Villata, who represents 2,600 growers nationwide, said the core market tends to be baby boomers inspired by federal studies in the late 1990s.
The studies basically concluded that blueberries were the best source of anti-oxidants of all the fresh fruits and vegetables that were studied. No scientist has to tell us they taste good, too.
Instrumental in warding off cell damage that leads to heart diseases and cancer, “anti-oxidant” is the boomer buzzword that also generated resounding cheers when dark chocolate and red wine were deemed plentiful sources.
But unlike wine and chocolate, blueberries are healthy even for the overindulgent, said Christine Bruhn, director of the center for consumer research at the UC Davis Extension Service.
Food trends are primarily spurred by new flavors and perceived value, she said. But the third factor driving consumers is nutritional properties, she said.
“It’s reasonable that as you get older, you’re looking for ways to extend the useful part of life,” Bruhn said.
But nutritious food is not always a runaway hit, she said. Think Brussels sprouts.
“If they can give us something good tasting, that’s the key,” she said.
Health professionals continue to push seven to nine servings of fruit and vegetables a day, and beloved front-runners like blueberries make that job easier, she said. For growers, it’s been a little bonanza.
Guy Cotton thought he was tapping into a niche market when he added 30 acres to his farm near Stockton to grow blueberries 14 years ago. They would nicely complement the cherries and walnuts he grows, he figured.
Now his O-G Packing is growing 100 acres of blueberries – 10 percent of his total crop production – and he’s shipping them as far as Japan.
He attributes the leap in demand to the health publicity, which he says has jumped the Pacific, creating hot markets on the Pacific Rim.
Luckily for California growers like Cotton, a new variety of blueberry has cropped up that thrives without the cold that older varieties need.
In the foothills, Chris Hoover sampled the first blueberry of the season this week from his 4-acre crop growing near Placerville.
Later in the month, he expects to cart berries to sell at farmers markets throughout Northern California, including the Sunday Sacramento market under the freeway at Eighth and W streets.
“Consumers seem to know about blueberries’ health benefits,” he said.
He also grows cherries and boysenberries and other fruits on 72 acres, but he never has to bring home unsold blueberries.
The demand is so high he figures he’ll be adding more acres.
At his Hoover Vale Orchards, the family sells blueberries at a stand and uses them for baked goods at the bakery.
There are hardly enough for the different operations, Hoover said.
“We fight over them,” he said.
At the Sacramento Natural Foods Co-Op, Paddock, a state worker, gathered items for lunch earlier this week, including a blueberry “smoothie.” She buys blueberries maybe three times a month when the price is still high early in the season.
Her parents grew up on farms, which gave her a lifelong appreciation for fresh produce, she said.
