Pears Heart Healthy Pt 1

Pears Heart Healthy Pt 1

Bob Larson
Bob Larson
With today's Fruit Grower Report, I'm Bob Larson. If I told you that pears grown right here in the Northwest are good for your heart, you probably wouldn't be too surprised.

But, what is surprising is that, until recently not all pears were certified 'Heart Healthy' ...

STEPHENSON ... "You know, it sounds ridiculous to suggest that each pear wasn't already heart-healthy, but they were from a claim standpoint. We certainly can always say that pears are heart-healthy just like lots of fruits and vegetables, but to have that American Heart Association 'Heart Check Certification' is just something fun for the grocery store. It's just that added assurance to a consumer when they're shopping, especially if they're concerned about their diet, to grab it because its been certified and checked and meets all the requirements for heart-healthy food."

Pear Bureau Northwest's Kathy Stephenson says it seemed strange to only give certification to a select few varieties ...

STEPHENSON ... "What we had done before as we had worked with the Heart Association to certify the top volume pears so, you know, 96% of all of the pears that we ship were certified just by certifying Bartlett, Red Anjou, Bosc and Green Anjou."

So, Stephenson says, they went right to the source ...

STEPHENSON ... "So, we really worked hard with the American Heart Association to try to explain to them that it was in their interest and our interest to help us with the financial commitment that was put into the certification."

Listen tomorrow for more on the Heart-Healthy branding for all 10 Northwest varieties and what it means for consumers moving forward.

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