• Ag Alert, Wednesday, December 6, 2006 11:16 AM

Ever since POM Wonderful began heavily promoting the pomegranates and its juice in 2002, the fruit has popped up in the most unexpected food products--from tea and truffles to ice cream and chewing gum. In 2002, Americans ate--or drank--10 times as many pomegranates annually as they did in 2000.

POM Wonderful's route to success has been circuitous. Parent company Paramount Farms acquired a pistachio and almond grower in the late 1980s and began pulling out the pomegranate trees on the land. Then the growers began to wonder about the reported health benefits of the fruit and decided to do a little research. The company has funded 21 studies, with 44 more in the pipeline. The research is paying off.

"Pomegranate seeds and juice contain high levels of disease-fighting antioxidants--higher proportionately than in other fruits, red wine or green tea," says Dr. Harley Liker, professor of medicine at UCLA. "They are also packed with vitamins C and E and are thought to possess heart-healthy properties as well."

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