It's not yet official, but Nazario Battelli from Ortofrutta Italia and other experts have been working on it for months: a retail experiment to offer consumers only two types of peaches and nectarines (sweet and acidic) is about to start.
Of course, while the sweet-subacidic category (including the Big Top or Big Bang varieties) will be immediately popular, the sour-acidic one will dominate for other reasons.
According to researcher Stefano Foschi, "peaches and nectarines should be divided into the 'sweet and crunchy' and 'juicy and refreshing' categories so consumers can better understand what's on offer."
FreshPlaza will keep you up to date and verify whether feedback will be positive. The first test will only involve the yellow varieties.
Over the past few years, the areas dedicated to peach and nectarine cultivation have diminished. Nonetheless, there are still 250 registered varieties, which have contributed to confusing consumers.
We would like to remind producers to listen to the recommendations of technicians and to try out peaches first-hand. In addition, it is not possible to expect one variety to react in the same way in different areas. Producers must make their own decision as, if you read nursery catalogues, all varieties are tasty and very productive.