Norwegian wild berries – increased predictability and value creation

Woods and wilderness cover most of the land areas in Norway. These areas are abundant of valuable renewable resources, including berries. The demand for wild berries has increased dramatically due to health benefits and excellent taste. Nevertheless, in Norwegian, wild berries are almost non-existent on the market, leaving the berries unexploited in the forests.

The objective of the project will be reached through increased knowledge on availability, securing high quality, optimal processing and innovation. In WILDBERRIES, the research on availability and quality will focus on lingonberries. How location, climate, processing etc. affects chemical composition of the berries will be investigated. The knowledge on how these phytochemicals influences sensory and health related quality of berries and berry products will be the basis for development of new, innovative products.

One of the key challenges is access to the berries in the Norwegian topography. The yields and quality of wild berries vary from year to year and from locations to location. WILDBERRIES seek to develop tools to map areas with high yields and high quality of berries as well as getting new knowledge on key climatic conditions which affect the yield and quality.