Scottish consumers are to be quizzed on their opinions on blueberries as part of a new HortLINK project.
Consumers are being asked to take part in a survey seeking their views on exactly what makes a good blueberry, how often they eat blueberries and whether they’d prefer to buy British grown blueberries.
The work is being co-ordinated by the Scottish Crop Research Institute, Scotland’s centre for crop research based in Invergowrie, Dundee.
It is part of a HortLINK project to determine which blueberry varieties are best suited to the British climate and growing conditions in an effort to tap into a huge global market for the fruit.
The five-year HortLINK blueberry project is looking at the establishment, seasonality and machine harvestability of 40 different blueberry varieties in five UK locations.
Fruit quality composition (size, colour, pH, juice content and sensory characteristics) are being examined so that those with the most appropriate qualities can be identified for the UK market.
“The popularity of blueberries is increasing all the time and it has the potential to be a real growth market for British farmers,” said SCRI’s Dr Julie Graham, who is leading the work.
“The consumer survey is an important step in finding out just what qualities shoppers are looking for in blueberries and will highlight the prospects for British-grown fruit.”
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