No-nonsense, no-frills potato news stories from around the world
Just Eat data shows the North East is the UK’s top region for fish and chips, with over 50,000 orders this year. Cod is the most popular takeaway fish, and 73% of North East orders are for fish and chips. Across the UK, vinegar is the favourite condiment, especially among over 55s, while 18-34-year-olds prefer ketchup. Fluffy, thick-cut chips are most popular. Fish and chips rank as the seventh most popular UK cuisine on Just Eat, up from eighth in 2022.
Whether it’s fried, baked or mashed, potatoes have traditionally been a low-cost staple food in the UK – but not any more. A surge in costs is clobbering high street chippies, while in the supermarket, oven chips and the once humble baking potato are casualties of soaring grocery prices, as Zoe Wood reports for The Guardian. According to Andrew Crook, who speaks for the industry as the president of the National Federation of Fish Friers, “People might just shut their shop due to all the other costs as well.”
The South African government has reinstated anti-dumping duties on frozen potato chips imported from the Netherlands, Germany, and Belgium after these imports were found to be undercutting local industry. While industry stakeholders praised the decision, concerns were raised about potential price increases for restaurants and shops. The number of potato farmers in South Africa has decreased by 14% over the past decade due to competitive pressures and production challenges, and further decline is expected.
Frito-Lay and Quaker have launched their inaugural U.S. Summer Snack Index, uncovering consumer snacking habits to enrich summer experiences. The report indicates that pre-planned snacks reduce road trip stress for 85% of Americans, and snacks are often prioritized over clean restrooms by younger road trippers. The study highlights the vital role of snacks in enhancing morale during trips and reducing traffic stress, with 41% of people preferring control over snacks rather than music during travel.
Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. recently announced its fiscal third quarter 2023 results and updated its fiscal 2023 outlook. “We delivered another quarter of strong operating results and have raised our fiscal 2023 financial targets accordingly,” said Tom Werner, President and CEO. “We expect this momentum will continue through this fiscal year and provide a solid foundation for fiscal 2024.”
KFC and other global restaurant chains will soon be prohibited from importing pre-cut potatoes, as part of a policy change aimed at increasing the capacity of local farmers to supply these international establishments. Cabinet Secretary Simon Chelugui said: “We foresee that all varieties of potatoes used in KFC [restaurants] and other international food chains will be sourced from Kenya in the future..”
McDonald’s Corp. said it will weigh the pros and cons of reusable packaging in its restaurants worldwide, addressing an environmental predicament as European laws have begun to force the fast-food titan to offer its fare in more durable containers. Takeaway food and beverage packaging makes up 88% of the world’s coastline litter, according to a 2021 study published in the journal Nature. Investors and governments are increasingly pressuring restaurants to cut plastic waste.
Fast food companies in Kenya are increasingly turning to local potato farmers to supply their needs, according to a news report by Jacktone Lawi, published by The Star. Previously, major brands such as KFC had sourced their potatoes from South Africa and Egypt. However, a new consortium has been formed to help smallholder farmers increase yields and reduce post-harvest losses.
The processed potatoes market is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 5.2% between 2022 and 2027, according to recently released report by Technavio. The size of the market is forecast to increase by USD 41.71 billion. The growth of the market is said to depend on several factors, including a growing focus on expanding production capabilities for potato processing, growth of organized retailing, and increasing prominence of private-label brands.
Queenslanders are being burnt by hot chip [fries] prices. They’re soaring to as much as $12 for a small serve in the wake of a sorry spud supply. As 7News Australia reports, some stores have had to go to drastic measures to keep their fryer full. Chip shops such as Good Lookin Rooster are now importing chips from countries such as the U.S. for twice the local price.
A new report by Expert Market Research gives an in-depth analysis of the global frozen potato products market. According to the report, the growing popularity of quick service restaurants (QSRs) in both developing and developed countries is driving the global frozen potato market. North America and Europe dominate the business, but the Asia-Pacific area is likely to become one of the most profitable frozen potato marketplaces in the near future.
The hot chip shortage has now hit close to home [in Australia], with the internet divided over a recent photo of an empty Coles fridge, writes Joanne Tran in a news story published by The Daily Telegraph. In a now-viral Reddit post, a user shared a snap of the frozen chips section at their local Coles, and shockingly, it was completely empty.
Lamb Weston announced today its fiscal second quarter 2023 results and updated its fiscal 2023 outlook. “We delivered strong top and bottom-line results in the quarter,” said Tom Werner, President and CEO. “Because of our financial performance in the first half of fiscal 2023 and our broad operating momentum, we have raised our annual sales, gross margin and earnings targets. In addition, we look forward to beginning to capture strategic, commercial and operational benefits from the acquisition of our partner’s interest in our European joint venture.”
Australian supermarket giant Coles has introduced a two-item limit on frozen chips after flooding across the eastern coast impacted the supply of potatoes, according to a report by 1News. A Coles spokesperson told Nine that the limit, beginning on December 15, will likely be lifted within months. “Poor weather in the eastern states has affected supply of some frozen potato products across the industry,” they said.
Flavoured fries brand Potato Corner recently opened stores in London, Dubai and its 1,400th store, further expanding its global presence to five continents. “We’re very pleased with the growth momentum of Potato Corner, and we look forward to further increase its footprint,” Shakey’s Pizza Asia Ventures, Inc. President and Chief Executive Officer Vicente L. Gregorio said. The brand was acquired this year by Shakey’s, a leading casual dining restaurant chain and food service group in the Philippines.
The Teton Russet potato variety has now been added to the list used for McDonald’s ‘World Famous Fries’, according to a news release issued by the Potato Variety Management Institute (PVMI). With this acceptance, the Teton Russet becomes the ninth variety of potato to be used by McDonald’s in North America. The Teton Russet has already begun rolling out to suppliers/restaurants as early as August.
From an airplane to an ancient ruin, yes, you can get fries with that, writes Sam Lin-Sommer, Gastro Obscura Editorial Fellow in this article. For a chain that prides itself on conformity, McDonald’s boasts some rebels among its franchises, Lin-Sommer writes. In Taupo, New Zealand, kids eat Happy Meals inside a red-and-silver 20-seater airplane from 1943. Sometimes, the chain’s deep fryers sit atop historical artifacts.
FreshFry, the makers of plant-powered pods that extend the life of cooking oil, announces today the expansion of its signature ‘FreshFry Pods’ to international markets. FreshFry Pods generates savings to restaurant owners in a multitude of areas including less overall oil usage, reduced build-up of oil in and around fryers, and lower labor costs for maintenance and disposal of oil.
The most recent potato variety to join the list of approved McDonald’s potato varieties is the Dakota Russet, developed at North Dakota State University by Asunta Thompson, associate professor of plant science and potato breeder. “This is a dream come true,” Thompson said. “Having our russet accepted by McDonald’s for their french fries is the gold standard we all strive for…
McDonald ’s Corp. said it would quit Russia and sell its business there, ending more than three decades in the country over its invasion of Ukraine. As Michael Wright and Dean Seal reports for The Wall Street Journal, the fast-food giant joins a raft of Western companies, from auto makers to oil producers, exiting Russia as the war in Ukraine rumbles on.
KFC Singapore said on Thursday (28 April) that it is not offering French fries for now but assured customers that the item “will be back soon” amid a global potato shortage. McDonald’s Philippines has paused sales of larger portions of their fries due to “the global freight crisis,” saying they are “working hard to bring back all sizes very soon.”
McDonald’s Korea and Lotteria are suffering from frozen potato shortages, scrambling to replace their French fries with chicken nuggets or cheese sticks due to supply chain problems amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Lotte GRS, operator of Lotteria, reportedly said it is seeking other global potato suppliers instead of the U.S., where the fast food franchise imports most of its frozen potatoes from.
McDonald’s Corp. is temporarily closing all 850 Russia locations, following mounting criticism that the fast-food chain failed to act quickly following the nation’s invasion of Ukraine, reports Leslie Patton for Bloomberg News. The company will continue paying its 62,000 employees in Russia, McDonald’s said in a letter Tuesday from Chief Executive Officer Chris Kempczinski.
Cold and limp fries is a problem that many catering entrepreneurs encounter. Dutch based Paardekoper says in a news article that with its new Depa® French fries box, this problem is a thing of the past. The company says the revolutionary material composition and shape provide the ideal combination of ventilation, absorption and insulation. As a result, fries and snacks stay warm and crispy longer than in traditional delivery packaging.
While technology giants like Apple and luxury retailers like Hermès have quickly moved to pause sales or shutter stores in Russia over the invasion of Ukraine, most U.S. food companies and fast-food chains have remained open — and largely silent, as Julie Creswell reports in this news story for the New York Times. Many large food manufacturers, including PepsiCo and Coca-Cola, and fast-food chains like McDonald’s and Yum Brands are facing growing pressure to halt operations in Russia.
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