The seven-nation European project BreedingValue is aimed at enhancing the value of fruits such as strawberry, blueberry and raspberry, and involves seven nations Italy, France, Germany, Spain, UK, Finland and Turkey.
One of the activities of the project, conducted between March and July 2022, and led by the Institute of Bioeconomics of the CNR, with the support of European partners, was to engage consumers through a multilingual online survey to understand the liking of the fruits studied in the project, compared to other popular fruits.
More than 900 consumers participated in the survey, and the most popular fruit among the 18 proposed was strawberry, with raspberry in fourth place and blueberry in fifth. Excellent placings then for these 'up-and-coming' fruits.
In second place was the cherry, with an average rating of 6.1 out of 7.
The cherry is, among the most liked fruits, in third place in Turkey, second place in France and the United Kingdom, almost equal to the strawberry for Spanish consumers, and first place for Italian consumers (rating 6.4 out of 7).
In Germany, the whole podium is for the berry: strawberry, raspberry, blueberry, in that order, with the cherry in fourth place.
Only in Finland is the cherry not among the top 10 most popular fruits, but the difference between the opinions of consumers in the different countries gives an idea that the online survey was conducted carefully and with a desire to offer honest individual judgements.
The survey, it is important for the research, to segment consumers according to preferences and expectations, highlighted the high appreciation for berries, but also showed how the cherry, together with the peach (in third position
according to international ratings ... and second in Italy ahead of the strawberry), is an important reference when it comes to taste, quality and the pleasure of eating fruit.
16 May 2024
‘We started a few days earlier than last year, when the harvest began on 4 May,’ says David Manero, producing partner of Cerima Cherries. ‘The campaign started well in terms of prices, but this year there will be fewer kilos of early cherries.
18 Nov 2024
Obtained at the Forlì site of the Forlì Research Centre for Olive, Fruit and Citrus Fruit Growing, they were selected as CREA C1 (Isired) and CREA C2 (Giored) as part of a genetic improvement programme aimed at the lowland environments of the Romagna area.
11 Feb 2026
A Chinese study shows the effectiveness of 5-aminolevulinic acid hydrochloride against sweet cherry black rot, inhibiting Alternaria alternata and improving postharvest fruit quality. An innovative strategy for food safety and sustainable crop protection.
11 Feb 2026
Post-harvest sweet cherry management is a key phase for reserve accumulation, flower bud differentiation and future yield. In Chile, summer pruning, irrigation, nutrition and stress control influence vegetative balance, fruit quality and long-term orchard performance.
