IS IT A STRAWBERRY? IS IT A RASPBERRY? IS IT A BLUEBERRY? NO, IT'S ALL THREE

Scientists unveil the ultimate three in one 'uberfruit' - the Vitaberry

April 1, 2009 - Scientists have today launched what they claim to be a revolutionary hybrid 'uberfruit', grown specifically to deliver three of your five a day in a single hit - the Vitaberry. Exhibiting characteristics of each of its parent fruits - the strawberry, raspberry and blueberry - the Vitaberry has been created by researchers from UK based nutrition and vitamin specialist, Wassen.

The unusual fruit - a culmination of three years' research, is the shape of a raspberry, the colour of a blueberry and has the seeds and texture of a strawberry. When it comes to taste, the fruit delivers a blend of flavours to rival any smoothie and packs more nutritional punch than any of its parents on their own.

Health campaigners have already heralded its arrival as a breakthrough in the war on poor nutrition and hope that it could encourage people to increase their vitamin intake on a long term basis. The fruit, due to go on sale later this summer, is being grown in a number of secret locations across the UK and follows in the footsteps of other hybrid creations, including the grapple (grape and apple), grapricot (grapefruit and apricot) and limequat (lime and kumquat).

Tim Snook, managing director at Wassen says, "The Vitaberry really is the first in a new breed and a remarkable development; perfect for those of us who are too busy to remember to take our daily five a day or simply fruit lovers tired of the same old thing. People are looking for new and easy ways to stay healthy and the Vitaberry provides that in abundance. We think it's going to be a real hit, but ultimately it's the public who will decide."

Scientists revealed the new fruit to officials at a private launch earlier today, after the same officials had given researchers special exemption from normal EU rules banning the modification and cross pollination of fruit.

The fruit is due to be authorised for sale later this month, once it's passed the strict guidelines set out in the EU Novel Foods Regulation - a directive that almost stopped the Goji berry craze in its tracks in early 2007. New foods must meet three criteria before they can go on sale: they must not be unsafe, their nutritional quality must not be inferior to similar foods and its labelling must be clear. After a public outcry by fans of the berries, the Goji was passed fit by the FSA later that year.