The Ingredient Technology Group (ITG) division of Ocean Spray this week announced record European sales of cranberry ingredients for the last fiscal year. With a 134 per cent increase on the previous year's sales, Europe now represents 12 per cent of ITG's worldwide sales with the UK, French, German and Scandinavian markets demonstrating particularly strong growth.
"The rise in cranberry ingredient sales has been phenomenal," said Ron McMillan, general manager Europe of Ocean SprayITG. "Explosive growth in the UK and the rest of Europe over the past 18 months suggests that word is spreading on the health, functionality and processing benefits to be gained from using cranberries in various products.
Food manufacturers are responding accordingly with an array of tasty and innovative products - from breakfast cereals and snack bars to yoghurts, cheeses and biscuits."
Ocean Spray ITG's portfolio of industrial cranberry ingredients includes sweetened dried cranberries and flavoured fruit pieces. The company's cranberry fruits are also available in frozen, powdered and concentrated forms