Many Nova Scotians might take this homegrown food product for granted. The wild blueberry is so much part of this region it’s the star attraction of a number of festivals. Now, a company well-known for the distribution of this tasty, nutrient-dense food is taking a bold step to raise the berry’s profile across the country.
Cumberland County’s Oxford Frozen Foods has launched an advertising campaign on television for packaged frozen wild blueberries – of which there are several brands marketed from the region.
That’s perhaps an obvious move for companies with anything to sell, but as company spokesman Jordan Burkhardt said, Oxford Frozen Foods is primarily a wholesaler. It was an initiative discussed over the years and ultimately developed into this idea to promote and help move more of the product.
It also comes at a time when there’s a lot of product to move.
Blueberry growers in Nova Scotia had three successive bumper crops in recent years, leading to a glut of berries on the market which, correspondingly, drove down prices. The price being received by producers was in the range of 48 cents per kilogram – they need about twice that to turn a profit.
Moving product, it’s clear, is crucial to returning prices to the typical prices – making good promotion critical to the health of the industry.
On other fronts, blueberries have gotten pretty good press over the years. They’re touted by nutrition experts as being packed with vital food components, a rich source of anthocyanins and antioxidants – reputed to be cancer fighters and offering anti-aging properties – and of course vitamins, minerals and fibre. Heck, they’re used to make nutritional supplements, but like anything, the whole food itself is better.
The frozen product, all-natural with no additives – no sugar added is hugely significant – preserves the benefits enjoyed in freshly picked berries.
They’re also an incredible bargain, coming in a package that goes a long way when stacked alongside the cost and nutritional content of other fruits.
The industry in this province and elsewhere in the region has been growing as an important export product. There’s no doubt great potential for that to expand in coming years, but an eye on opening untapped markets across the country is a good step in keeping producers in business and boosting the industry.
The potential for growth lies in many areas.
Places with funding from the provincial government, such as hospitals or seniors homes, could play a part. The food served in these institutions is seldom what anyone would write home about. But for a modest cost, they could add this particularly wholesome product, improving daily diets and boosting a vital regional industry at the same time.
Add to that the increasing concern about whether the average person is getting the recommended nutritional requirements – particularly including several servings of fruit and vegetables each day. For lower-income households especially the issue of cost is raised. Here’s a product at a modest price that could help a lot of people meet those needs.
