Oishii is one of the only “luxury” fruit brands we’ve come across. The company grows strawberries hydroponically and sells them for nearly $20 per package.
But is Oishii healthier than regular strawberries or is it a waste of money? Do their strawberries taste better? And why are they so expensive?
In this article we’ll answer all of these questions and more as we review how Oishii strawberries are grown and give our take on whether they’re healthier than supermarket strawberries.
We’ll feature real, unsponsored user reviews of the taste as well as a video interviewing their founder at their farm that overviews their growing process and why the products are so expensive.
Are Oishii Strawberries Healthier?
Right on the homepage of the Oishii website, the brand claims their strawberries are different from regular strawberries, mentioning that they’re pesticide-free, nutrient-rich and non-GMO.
But do these differences justify the price?
The fact that the strawberries are pesticide-free does make them healthier than conventional strawberries. A medical review published in the Environmental Toxicology and Pharmacology journal documents how pesticides can damage DNA and are associated with increased risk of cancer and various health disorders.
The ability to entirely eliminate pesticide use is one of the reasons why hydroponic farming is so promising. But there are many other hydroponic farming brands that are cheaper than Oishii. Some small-scale farmers are able to avoid pesticide use as well, so it may be worthwhile for consumers interested in the health benefits of Oishii strawberries to visit a local farmer’s market and ask the farmers if they use pesticides on their crops.
We haven’t seen any evidence that Oishii strawberries are more nutrient-rich than other strawberry brands, or that the “non-GMO” designation means anything from a health perspective.
So Oishii strawberries are healthier than supermarket strawberries, but do they taste better? We’ll review in the next section.
Real, Unsponsored Oishii Strawberry Reviews
A YouTube creator named “Veggiekins” compares the taste of Oishii strawberries to local supermarket strawberries:
Another YouTube influencer named “Xiaomanyc” had random strangers on the streets of NYC try Oishii strawberries and give their take:
Why is Oishii So Expensive?
A CNBC Make It video with over 55,000 views interviewed Oishii’s founder, toured their facility and explains the interesting backstory of the company (you can ignore the price in title as it’s been lowered since:
Should I Buy Other Hydroponic Produce?
If you’ve read to this point in the article, you’re probably thinking “if pesticides are so harmful, should I replace all of my fruits and veggies with hydroponically-grown alternatives”?
In our opinion, it’s worth replacing as much conventionally-grown produce with hydroponically-grown produce as possible. As we discussed in our hydroponic weed review article, eliminating pesticide intake can reduce one of the risk factors for disease in the modern world.
Unfortunately there aren’t hydroponically-grown brands for every category of produce yet, but we’ve been noticing more and more hydro produce in supermarkets.
The health benefits of conventionally-grown produce still drastically outweigh any health risks, and dietary diversity is shown in medical studies to improve gut health, so we don’t recommend avoiding any fruit or vegetable just because it’s conventionally-grown.
