California shares finest strawberry varieties with Asia

When it comes to strawberries, a natural balance exists between China and California. China's peak production is in the late winter, while California's peak production is in the summer. When the state government agency California Strawberry Commission (CSC) learned that athletes competing in the Beijing 2008 Summer Olympics had requested strawberries, CSC informed US and Chinese government officials that California was the natural region to supply them. The Chinese government agreed and granted temporary market access for California strawberries.

China's choice of California as a source did not come as a surprise. For more than half a century, California's more than 400 strawberry growers, shippers and processors have worked together through the CSC to become leaders in food safety programmes, production research and nutrition research.

"We're fortunate to have the best climate in the world for growing strawberries along the coast of California," says Chris Christian, CSC's senior vice-president.

The moderate coastal climate from Southern California to Monterey Bay enables California to produce about 2.5 billion pounds of strawberries yearly. CSC has supported University of California scientists to create numerous strawberry varieties used by American farmers and by other countries, including China, through technology transfers and co-operation.

The commission also leads international research on controlling soil-borne diseases, pesticide-free farming and mechanised harvesting.

Considered a true super fruit, the berries contain folate, fibre, potassium and phytochemicals, and are an excellent source of vitamin C. CSC's research with Harvard University in Boston found that elderly women who ate more than two servings of the berries weekly could delay cognitive and memory decline by up to 2.5 years.