For centuries British fur traders and explorers on the Prairies ate saskatoon berries, either alone or as an ingredient of pemmican.
But the hardy prairie fruit has been declared a “novel food” in the European Union and was set to be banned from the European food market as of June 9.
That’s got Saskatoon berry producer John Ritz in a fighting mood.
“We’re not going to give up on that market,” said Ritz, who operates Prairie Lane Saskatoons in Petersfield, Man. “The people in Europe like the product. Just because someone in England has a hiccup doesn’t mean we give up.”
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The plight of the saskatoon berry comes from a bizarre scientific technicality that has the humble fruit caught between strict regulations.
After saskatoons were declared a novel food by the EU, a designation that would stop them being sold without a lengthy process of testing, Ritz applied to the British government to recognize saskatoons as an “equivalency comparator” to blueberries.
But the British regulators decided they couldn’t give the equivalency comparator designation to the saskatoons because on a scientific if not culinary level, saskatoons are closer to being apples than they are to being blueberries.
Ritz said the British regulators told him that they believe the saskatoon berries are safe to eat, but because they are not essentially the same as blueberries they can’t give them the mandatory designation.
Ritz is frustrated by the snafu. The process to test and prove that saskatoons are safe will take from nine to 36 months, even if no one believes they are dangerous.
“Nobody has said an apple is not safe to eat,” said Ritz.
James Wiens, a Waldheim, Sask., producer of saskatoons, said the European ban will upset the market.
“Any setback like this is going to affect everybody as right away it makes the market smaller,” said Wiens, who is past-president of the Saskatchewan Fruit Growers Association.
Ritz plans to fight this regulatory mess in another way, but would not give details on June 7, when he was interviewed.
Ritz said worldwide interest in saskatoon berries is booming, so he isn’t worried that this problem with the EU will stop market expansion.
This summer he has processors from Germany, Ireland, China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Mexico and the United States coming to his farm to talk about doing business, which is much more interest than he has ever seen before.
“This thing is really taking off,” said Ritz.
