Why Your Blueberries May Not Be as Fresh As You Think

Most of us tend to buy our produce from the grocery store, but have you stopped to think about what it took for that blueberry to get from the plant to your plate?

Blueberries sold at the grocery store most frequently come from a large distributor where berries from multiple farms are collected, sorted, packaged, and shipped. Berries that undergo this process are handled more, and for blueberries, this process impacts freshness and quality.

In nature, blueberries have a unique protective coating called “bloom” that protects them from disease and bacteria. This coating is white-ish and somewhat waxy, but the more a blueberry is touched, the more the bloom is wiped away.

It’s so disappointing to pay a premium price for organic blueberries at the store only to come home to squishy, flavorless berries that begin to spoil within a few days of purchase. Often, this outcome is the result of more touchpoints in the process between getting your blueberries from the bush to your mouth.

Beyond the physical processing involved in traditional produce handling, 684 million pounds of blueberries are imported annually from countries including Mexico, Peru, and Chile. Of imported berries, only 15% are certified organic. When you consider the complexity of the processing process within the United States, it’s easy to understand how imported blueberries are even less fresh than those grown a state or two away.

Ultimately, you are going to get fresher berries when you buy locally from a known source.