Fast Food/Quick Service Restaurants

AHDB: Volume gains in retail offset out-of-home losses for potatoes in Britain

Potato consumption has remained resilient in Britain over the past six months, despite closures in the foodservice market, according to figures released by AHDB. Strong retail sales led to an overall 12% volume increase for potatoes in the six months to 9 August, according to AHDB estimates based on Kantar data. Over the 24 weeks ending (w/e) 9 August, retail sales volumes of potatoes and potato products rose well ahead of the total food and non-alcoholic drink uplift. The return of big fast food brands in June helped lift takeaway volumes of potatoes.

September 17, 2020

Opinion: The mysterious complexity of the common French fry

“Whether you call them French fries, pommes frites, or chips, the fried potato is one of the most elusive of foods to get right, though countless entities try and most fail on a nearly daily basis,” writes David Todd McCarty in this delightful article published in The Standard. “The fact they they appear so simple, yet seem to be so difficult to master, may be one of the reasons we are so drawn to them,” McCarty figures. “They are a bit like good summer corn, random sex, or a perfect golf shot…

September 15, 2020

A third of U.S.-grown potatoes become frozen french fries, used mostly by food service

A little more than one-third of all potatoes grown in the United States are manufactured into frozen products, 85 percent of which are french fries, according to report by the USDA Economic Research Service (ERS). Spurred by decades of explosive growth within the quick service restaurant industry (QSRs), processed potato products, which include frozen, chipped, dehydrated, and canned, became the major movers in the potato market, led by frozen french fries. The vast majority move through various food service venues or the export market.

August 19, 2020

McDonald

August 18, 2020

Canadian online food ordering and delivery company doing big business amid pandemic

While many businesses are struggling to keep the doors open with the financial burden of the COVID-19 pandemic, food delivery businesses are seeing high demand for their services. SkipTheDishes Restaurant Services Inc. is one of these. SkipTheDishes is a Canadian online restaurant ordering and food delivery company headquartered in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The company has revealed that nearly seven million pounds (3.17 million kg) of potato products were sold through its online ordering service since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

August 18, 2020

Brits turn to takeout during COVID-19 lockdown; potato industry benefits

Data from AHDB shows that Brits are buying more take-out than they did before lockdown, with latest figures showing a 2 percent rise in orders compared to March 2020. After a fall in sales at the start of lockdown due to fewer collections and the closure of drive-thrus, the takeaway market has returned to growth for the first time in four months. The latest research shows that the reopening of fast food chains has benefited all sectors, with big gains for the red meat sector, potatoes and dairy.

August 16, 2020

McCain steps in to support UK potato industry, put three-to-five-year loyalty scheme in place for growers

The UK

August 12, 2020

COVID-19 impact: Lamb Weston slips as net sales declined 16%; volume down 17%, income declined 79%

Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. announced in a press release today its fiscal fourth quarter and full year 2020 results and provided a business update for the first quarter of fiscal 2021.

July 28, 2020

Signs of some recovery in global restaurant fry demand

Major potato processor Lamb Weston and global quick service restaurant chain McDonald

July 28, 2020

Potatoes: The popular ingredient that Taco Bell is pulling from its menu

In a July 2020 post to Reddit, a Taco Bell employee leaked information about some serious menu changes that would allegedly begin in August, 2020, and people were not pleased, reports Heather Clark for mashed.com. They were especially upset to read that “all potato items” would be disappearing from the menu. Taco Bell’s potato enthusiasts even created a Change.org petition titled “Save Taco Bell Potatoes” with over 9,000 signatures as of this writing.

July 21, 2020

McCain’s ‘French Fries Feed Farmers’ campaign encourages Canadians to eat more fries

At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, McCain Foods stepped in to help potato growers by releasing a video encouraging Canadians to eat more french fries, titled ‘French Fries Feed Farmers’. Despite the Canadian government

July 11, 2020

Potato consumption rebound in Canada put squeeze on reduced acreage

Potato acres across Canada are expected to be down for 2020, due to contract volume cuts in March as the pandemic lockdown hit North America, writes Shel Zolkewich in an article published by Spudsmart magazine. Kevin MacIsaac, general manager of the United Potato Growers of Canada, told Zolkewich in a phone interview.

June 29, 2020

Could the global loss of food service pressure the UK’s potato processing market?

The release of the end-March stocks estimate did enable the UK domestic market to encapsulate the partial impact that the coronavirus is having on the potato industry. However, it does not allow us to paint the whole picture as we finish this marketing year and head into next season. Anthony Speight, Analyst at AHDB, wrote the following report that we gladly re-publish here.

June 6, 2020

Market analyst: Frozen french fry demand in the US may be inching back quicker than anticipated

Signs are showing that frozen fry demand is improving quicker than the industry had anticipated, according to a May 27 report by North American Potato Market News. Restaurant chain sales in the U.S. improved five consecutive weeks from early April to mid-May, although were still down 21%, year-over-year in the week ending May 17.

June 3, 2020

Shoppers urged to seek out British potatoes to ease farmers

Consumers have been urged to seek out British potatoes on supermarket shelves to help East Anglia

June 3, 2020

Australian potato farmers outraged as $1billion COVID-19 cash splash is given to European colleagues

Australian potato farmers are outraged to discover a $1billion COVID-19 assistance package given to European growers could result in a flood of French fries into the market from overseas. An industry representative body for vegetable and potato growers, AUSVEG, said an influx of about 2.6million tonnes of excess potatoes into Australia would lock farmers out of the fast-food industry. The two biggest potato processors, McCain Food and Simplot, have been working with AUSVEG alongside other companies to address the issue

May 30, 2020

French fry fiasco: Potatoes pile up as restaurants close down across Canada

With restaurants closed due to COVID-19, the potato industry in Canada has taken a big hit. Lukie Pieterse, editor and publisher of Potato News Today joined guest host Heather Morrison of CBC Saskatchewan to talk about the impact the pandemic has had on the industry.

May 20, 2020

Pivoting when in crisis? Potato Corner founder shares ideas

“Pivoting” is a term that has been thrown around by entrepreneurs as they try to deal with the effects of the COVID-19 crisis. But Jose Magsaysay Jr., founder and chairman emeritus of the food kiosk pioneer Potato Corner, pivoting is not always the solution for crumbling businesses. “You pivot depending on your resources. Look into yourself before you pivot. Am I a player now in this crisis? If I’m not and I don’t have the money to pivot, I will just conserve, stop what I’m doing, and spot trends,” he said during a webinar organized by the Philippine Franchise Association on Thursday.

May 17, 2020

Covid-19: British potato farmers face crisis as fish and chip shops close

Britain’s farmers are struggling to work out what to do with tens of thousands of tonnes of spare potatoes when their season ends this summer after the closure of fish and chip shops during the lockdown triggered a collapse in demand.

May 17, 2020

‘To move crops in unprecedented times’: The COVID impact on Idaho potato farmers

With COVID-19 closures in place all across the United States, and even the world, restaurant demand for potatoes has fallen. According to Frank Muir, CEO of the Idaho Potato Commission, 60% of Idaho potatoes go to restaurants.

May 13, 2020

In America’s french fry heartland, spring turns bitter as coronavirus cuts into global demand

For farmer Mike Pink, spring is supposed to be a time of hope, when he can survey a green field of young potato plants and anticipate the bounty to be pulled from the sandy soils of the Columbia Basin, reports Hal Bernton of the Seattle Times. This year, this is a season when dreams die. Due to an epic potato glut that imploded his market, he has decided to do what was once unthinkable

May 11, 2020

The British chipping market state of play

Last week saw the release of our end-March stocks estimates. Fresh bags and chipping stocks that remain in grower ownership at the end of March were estimated at 157.3Kt. This shows a 49% drawdown from end of January, suggesting 151.6Kt moved from grower ownership in that time. By the end of March approximately 79% of fresh bag and chipping material had left grower ownership which is 2% lower than the 5-year average. However the question faced is; what will happen to the remaining 21% if the fish and chip trade remains subdued?

May 8, 2020

McDonald

May 6, 2020

Potatoes USA CEO weighs in on current french fry shortage at grocers

Here

May 5, 2020

Canada’s British Columbia potato farmers face tough decisions as demand for fries fizzles

Beauty is only a peeler away. B.C. potato farmers in Canada are hoping grocery shoppers will embrace less-than-perfect Kennebec potatoes, a variety that

May 4, 2020

Editor & Publisher: Lukie Pieterse

Follow Potato News Today!

Lockwood Mfg

PULSEMASTER

Dewulf

TOMRA Food