Pomegranate Revs Up New Food & Beverage Launches

Naples - NY, 14 November 2005 - Though it has been around since ancient times, the pomegranate was until recently a mystery to most American consumers. That seems to be changing and fast, according to Datamonitor's Productscan Online database of new products. For the year-to-date to October 31st, Productscan has logged 190 new pomegranate flavored foods and beverages in the USA. That's up from just 31 new entries in 2003.

The meteoric rise of pomegranate was spearheaded by the 2003 debut of POM Wonderful Pomegranate Juice from POM Wonderful, LLC of Los Angeles, CA. The name "Wonderful" refers to the type of pomegranate that this company grows. The juice line was the first to blend pomegranate juice with the juice of other fruits like blueberries and mangoes. Shelved in the produce section of supermarkets and sold in unique glass bottles shaped like two pomegranates stacked on top of each other, the launch added to the mystique of pomegranate fruit while helping to make pomegranates trendy.

Pomegranates Gain Medical Acclaim; Move Into New Foods
Not that pomegranate fruit needed any help on the trendy front. Pomegranate is naturally high in polyphenols that are powerful antioxidants that may be helpful in fighting a wide variety of health maladies from premature ageing to certain types of cancer. On the latter, U.S. researchers reported in September that pomegranate juice was able to shrink prostate tumors in mice. This according to the University of Wisconsin Medical School which published these test results in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

The taste and color of pomegranate seem to be bigger factors fueling the rise of new pomegranate flavored products than outstanding health credentials. Recent new product launches include SheerBliss Ultra Super Premium Ice Cream Pomegranate Bars from Hallendale, FL-based SheerBliss Ice Cream LLC. Crofter's Food, Ltd. of Parry Sound, Ontario, Canada has weighed in with Crofter’s Organic Pomegranate Jelly while Hauser Chocolatier of Westerly, RI recently debuted Hauser Chocolatier Pomegranate Truffles. According to the company, these truffles feature fruity, dark chocolate ganache infused with the sweet & sour juice of the ancient pomegranate that is rich in antioxidants.

Even chewing gum is getting in on the act. Ford Gum & Machine Co., Inc. of Lincolnshire, IL recently introduced Pomegranate Power Sugar Free Chewing Gum, a pomegranate and wild blueberry flavored gum made with natural pomegranate extract.

Anyone for Pomegranate Sausage?
Perhaps the most unique of the new pomegranate introductions is Jody Maroni's new Chicken Pomegranate Sausage which is just now hitting Jody Maroni’s Sausage Kingdom stores. Jody Maroni, the founder of the retail stores that bear his name notes "it was the best-received sausage flavor we have ever had."

Pomegranate's growth spurt could be good news for other so-called "superfruits" which are naturally high in beneficial ingredients. According to Tom Vierhile, Executive Editor of Datamonitor's Productscan Online database of new products, "acai is another 'good for you' tropical fruit which bears watching. A Brazilian rainforest berry, acai is said to have 50 percent more antioxidants than pomegranate. It’s now only in a handful of products, but recent launches containing acai have grown at an exponential rate which bodes well for the future."