The ability of supply chain operators to offer safe, sustainable and high-quality fruit products for a variety of sectors including for confectionery is the key factor on which value creation depends.

That is the core finding of a recent study conducted by the European Berry Swing Project on a group of over 300 mountain sports enthusiasts, carried out in Livigno during the last Winter Olympics.

According to the group’s survey, nearly 9 in 10 consumers consider European berries superior in quality to competing products from alternative locations.

Food safety is a key strength, with 90% associating EU berries with rigorous controls and reliable traceability. Sustainability is also highly valued: 87% consider EU strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, raspberries and redcurrants more sustainable than non-EU alternatives, both environmentally and socially.

Indeed, the confectionery sector has increasingly move to offer fruit inclusions in a wide range of categories, most notably within the gummy segment, but also across wider chocolate and snacking segments.

Nine in ten respondents also rate their taste as superior, while 88% consider them healthier. Moreover, 7 in 10 are more likely to buy berries produced through methods that reduce environmental impact, protect natural resources and ensure high safety standards. The findings therefore confirm the strong competitive position of European berries in a market that attaches increasing importance to quality, food safety and sustainability.

In recent years, the berry sector has grown through expanding cultivated areas and rising production. According to the International Blueberry Organisation (IBO), global cultivation increased from around 130,000 to over 282,000 hectares (+117.5%) between 2015 and 2024, while production reached 2.15 million tonnes in 2024 and is forecast to rise to 3.2 million tonnes by 2028.

Today, the sector faces growing competition, with competitiveness increasingly driven not only by production volumes but by quality, sustainability and supply chain transparency. The latest analyses by the International Blueberry Organisation (IBO) and the Centre for the Promotion of Imports (CBI) highlight consumers’ growing preference for products sourced through sustainable, traceable supply chains that ensure high standards of quality and food safety. Supply chain responsibility therefore plays a key role in creating value. Through advanced traceability systems, rigorous quality controls and increasingly sustainable cultivation practices, European berries meet these expectations while delivering high standards of quality, safety and environmental responsibility.

It is within this context that Berry Swing – Little European Heroes Against Climate Change, a three-year project co-funded by the European Union and CSO Italy, is set. The initiative aims to promote a production model based on quality, food safety, sustainability and innovation, highlighting the high standards that characterise the entire European supply chain in the Italian and German markets.