Superfruit launches drop in 2009
Data from Mintel’s Global New Products Database found pomegranate new product launches fell from 839 to 546 between 2008 and 2009, and cranberry launches fell from 282 to 163.
Goji berry launches fell from 180 to 105 while mangosteen debuts fell from 49 to 31.
One industry observer said superfruits remain a strong category and have established themselves in the mainstream market – especially in the case of pomegranate and cranberry – but the recession meant less consumers were willing to pay the premiums common in the sector.
“There is also an element of superfruit fatigue in that the novelty factor no longer exists in regard to a number of these fruits,” she said, preferring to remain anonymous because of a former link to a superfruit supplier.
Mintel’s data showed cranberry launches had risen from 13 in 2004 to peak at 282 in 2008 and there had been 729 launches in that period.
There have been 2530 pomegranate launches since 2004 with just 55 that year. For goji there have been 397 launches; mangosteen, 132.
Mintel’s data indicates similar trends in other parts of the world.
For pomegranate, launches fell in the UK, Turkey, Sweden and Italy but rose marginally in the Netherlands.
Against the grain, Canada (from 77 to 133) and Australia (14 to 46) recorded significant gains.
In countries like Brazil and the UK, cranberry launches peaked in 2007 (108 and 62 respectively). The US had more than twice as many cranberry launches as the next country in the period since 2004 (Brazil with 340).
China with 225, had the second-highest total number of goji launches behind the US with 397. The UK, Canada and the Netherlands were next.
In mangosteen the US recorded more than four times the number of launches since 2004 as the next country, Canada, with 132 compared to 28. Vietnam, Thailand, the Philippines and Australia were next.
