AUGUSTA (AP) — Maine’s famous wild blueberries might start turning up in school lunches more often in the future.
The Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry is giving the Wild Blueberry Commission of Maine $50,000 to perform a marketing initiative promoting the blueberries as a good school food.
The commission says school sales of frozen Maine wild blueberries have been flat despite recent years of high harvests. It says increased interest among schools could boost sales and create a stable new market for the berries.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture said last April it would buy up to $13 million in wild blueberries to help with falling prices and over-supply. The wild blueberry industry has seen prices slip in recent years in the wake of big harvests and competition from Canada
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