Heart health is integral to the blueberry marketing message. With Heart Health Month in full swing, we bring on two guests — one health researcher and one marketer — to tell the story of the heart-healthy properties of blueberries.

Host Kasey Cronquist, president of the U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council (USHBC) and the North American Blueberry Council (NABC), is joined by Brian Klumpp, director of marketing and strategic development at North Bay Produce, and Leslie Wada, Ph.D.,health research administrator for USHBC. 

“Let’s not forget the basic nutritional benefits of blueberries, such as being a good source of dietary fiber, they’re low in sodium, essentially fat free, they’re a source of vitamins and minerals … and a cup only has about 85 calories. It’s qualities like these that help blueberries earn the ‘heart’ checkmark from the American Heart Association.”  - Leslie Wada, Ph.D.

“It’s easy to feel like you’re preaching to the choir - that we all know this stuff - but the fact is … it’s one thing to have the healthy crowd know it, but there’s the up-and-coming shoppers that are new to [healthy shopping]. And there’s also the crowd that we want to expand this marketplace to … those looking to change their lifestyle.” - Brian Klumpp

Topics covered include: 

• The function of the USHBC Health & Research Committee. 
• Cardiovascular studies conducted by USHBC. 
• The inherent nutritional value of blueberries.
• Using the American Heart Association seal in packaging. 

Crop Report

The Blueberry Crop Report is an update on crop conditions and markets throughout North and South America. In this episode, you’ll hear from Luis Vegas in Peru, Andres Armstrong in Chile, and Juan Soria Morales in Mexico. This was recorded on Feb. 17, 2021.