Chicago Tribune:
Blueberries became the first “superfruit” in the ’90s. Though many foods are comparably high in antioxidants, blueberries got a head start with the public as research into foods believed to have health-promoting and/or disease-preventing properties accelerated. .
With a niche created, exotic fruits such as acai from an Amazonian palm tree and goji from a Himalayan plant have become the latest attention getters, as if the farther away and the more expensive fruits are, the better they must be.
That was enough for the Cherry Marketing Institute (CMI), which was sick and tired of having a venerable “homey” get overlooked.
“There is no question that the success of the blueberry folks got the attention of the tart cherry industry and was part of the reason to launch a program,” said Jeff Manning, CMI chief marketing officer.
Employing an impressive, cherry-colored nutrition report, CMI is bombarding news outlets. Tart cherries are full of melatonin, which is believed to aid sleep and regulate human biorhythm. Their rich red color is provided by anthocyanins, which are being studied for their possible role in the reduction of inflammation, such as that from arthritis. A new study presented in April by researchers at the University of Michigan found that tart cherries also might help reduce risk factors associated with heart disease and metabolic syndrome.
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