A competitive eater devoured nearly 18½ pounds of blueberries in eight minutes to win the title belt in the first contest sponsored by the U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council.

Patrick Bertoletti of Chicago set a world record during the Great American Blueberry Challenge eating contest on July 13 in Grand Rapids, Mich.

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Bertoletti also won the Mustard Belt at the Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Challenge July 4.

The blueberry eating contest was held at the Major League Pickleball Mid-Season Tournament.

The blueberry council is a sponsor of the league and July is National Blueberry Month.

“What better way to capture that enthusiasm than with a thrilling spectacle that turns ‘grab a boost of blue’ into a literal sport,” said Shelly Hartmann, council chairwoman and owner of True Blue Farms in Grand Junction, Mich.

Social media contest

The blueberry council, headquartered in Folsom, Calif., is also sponsoring the Great American Blueberry Challenge social media contest.

To enter, people share their creative, unique or wacky ways of eating blueberries.

The contest, which has a grand prize of $10,000 plus runners-up prizes, runs through July 31.

For more information, go to GreatAmericanBlueberryChallenge.com.