In Italy, cherries begin to ripen towards the end of May and are available until July. In these months, therefore, one would expect to find cherries on the market that come from the different regions of our country. In reality, as we know, this is not always the case and it is also possible to buy fruits of foreign origin, especially Turkish cherries.
You may have already noticed this for several years now cherries Turkish they are found more and more often in our markets and supermarkets, a sort of "invasion" that puts our local products at risk.
In 2020 Italy - notes Coldiretti - imported more 14 million kilos of cherries of which more than half from Greece and the rest from Spain and Turkey, in fact, and for this reason the advice of Coldiretti to be sure to buy an Italian product it is necessary to check the label on the tags or on the shelves and the origin must be indicated.
For example, among the latest companies that have chosen to import into Italy Kalinex Fruit, which produces not only this fruit but many others including grapefruits, lemons and pomegranates, all particularly appreciated in our country (probably due to competitive prices). But this is just one example, the companies are in fact numerous and reflect the growth of Turkish cherries on the Italian market that has accelerated in recent years.
Among other things, in 2021, given that the cherry harvest in some areas of Italy did not go well due to the frosts, they could also be found cherries from Ukraine and Moldova.
We therefore pay attention to the labels and signs displayed on the cherries that we find on the market, in particular if we want to ensure an Italian product or in any case to know the origin of the fruit we consume. Years ago, among other things, some consumers had reported contradictory labels on some boxes or packages of cherries which read at the same time "100% Italian product" and "origin: Turkey".
We do not know the market price of Turkish cherries but we imagine it is much lower than the always very expensive local cherries. Despite this: isn't it better to consume less but prefer the products of our territory? Also consider the environmental factor of cherries that from Turkey have to make a long journey in refrigerated trucks before arriving on our tables.
Among other things, cherries are among the fruits most contaminated by pesticides (you may remember the ranking of The Dirty Dozen), it would therefore always be better to buy them from organic farming.
The choice, as always, is in the hands of us consumers.
Read all our articles on cherries.
Source: Fresh Plaza / East Fruit
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