No-nonsense, no-frills news stories from around the world
Coming soon, Potato Corner – a Filipino-based global chain that specializes in cooking and serving flavoured fries – will open its doors in Calgary. Potato Corner opened its first outlet in the Philippines in October 1992 and began franchising the year after. Today, it has grown from small carts into in-line stores found in almost every corner of the world.
Industry professionals involved in the potato processing sector are invited to meet with the Pulsemaster team at this year’s Interpom event to discuss the company’s latest pulsed electric field (PEF) solutions, and its commitment to keep pace with emerging industry trends. “Our latest Pulsemaster PEF-systems are a must-see,” says Managing Director, Mark de Boevere.
New research finds that more than 90% of foodservice operators use frozen foods in their menus, with the healthcare, convenience store and fast casual categories reporting the greatest increase in use since 2019. Forty percent of foodservice operators surveyed reported purchasing more frozen foods than they did in 2019. A large majority of operators report purchasing frozen vegetables (83% of operators), potato products (78%) and fruits (76%).
Few areas of the stock market have managed to stay above the selling in 2022 outside of the booming energy sector. Lamb Weston stock didn’t just avoid the fall, it has climbed over 30% YTD to hit new 52-week highs recently, as it thrives amid an economic downturn, according to Benjamin Rains, reporting for Zacks.com earlier today. He says the company grew its revenue by 14% year-on-year to $1.13 billion.
On Thursday 3 November 2022, potato processing company Lutosa officially inaugurated its new flakes factory in Leuze-en-Hainaut in Belgium. This new, fully integrated facility represents a €45 million investment by McCain Foods in this strategic segment of the potato industry. 10% of the total investment is dedicated to improving the environmental impact.
PepsiCo is investing $40 million in Ethiopian subsidiary Senselet, which produces the potato chip brand SUN Chips. The investment will fund the construction of an additional potato chip production line and a new snack production line inside the brand’s existing facilities, as Gloria Cowdin reports for Baking Business.
McCain Foods is entering the Metaverse and introducing new ‘Regen Fries’ as part of the #SaveOurSoil initiative. Regen Fries are made with potatoes that are grown using regenerative farming methods which build soil health, improve biodiversity, and enhance on-farm resilience to climate change. McCain has committed to reimagining ways to grow potatoes that are ‘beneficial for both the planet and the communities in which it operates’.
In March this year, Del Currie launched Spudos, which now supplies crisps to more than 65 so-called “zero-waste shops” across the UK and Republic of Ireland. The biggest names in the crisps sector say they will need additional time to switch to more environmentally-friendly packaging. In the meantime, it is smaller crisps firms who are leading the way in terms of more eco-friendly packaging, such as Canadian business Humble Potato Chips. In the UK, farmers Sean Mason and Mark Green launched sustainable crisps brand Two Farmers.
Lamb Weston announced today that it will purchase the remaining equity interests in its European joint venture with Meijer Frozen Foods B.V. for €700 million. Upon completion of the transaction, Lamb Weston will own 100% of Lamb-Weston/Meijer. “Lamb-Weston/Meijer was built over the last 28 years, and we’re grateful to Meijer Frozen Foods for their longstanding partnership,” said Tom Werner, President and CEO of Lamb Weston.
Supermarkets have been hit by an unexpected product shortage as a result of the ongoing weather and supply chain issues in Australia, as Rebekah Scanlan reports for News.com.au. Farmers have been warning of a national potato shortage for months after huge amounts of crops were “wiped out” by wild weather earlier in the year.
PepsiCo UK announced a £14 million investment in new sustainable food packaging innovations that will remove 250 tonnes of virgin plastic from its supply chain annually. The outer plastic packaging on millions of Walkers 22- and 24- bag multipacks will be replaced with a new cardboard design which reduces the amount of virgin plastic the company uses. The new outer packaging will be on-shelves in all major supermarkets in the UK in the coming weeks.
A Puslinch (Guelph) potato chip company is taking the lead on crunching down on single-use plastics to inspire other businesses. Humble Potato Chips offers salty snacks that come in plastic-free, compostable bags made with plants. The bags are Industrial Compostable Certified and can break down in municipal or commercial composting systems in 90 to 180 days.
The quality and innovation behind its potato starch saw Meade Farm, based in Ireland, recently recognised across four different award programmes. The family agribusiness won a gold medal at the Irish Quality Food Awards 2022; the Best Supply Chain Team of the Year award at the National Procurement Awards; the Circular Economy Leadership Award and the overall Grand Prix Award at the IMR Irish Manufacturing and Supply Chain Awards.
The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) issued a $127,800 fine Tuesday to Lamb Weston’s Hermiston potato processing plant for repeated wastewater violations that contaminated the groundwater in nearby communities. Lamb Weston spokesperson Shelby Stoolman said the company takes environmental compliance seriously and is carefully reviewing the information it received from DEQ.
A new Reser’s Fine Foods plant in Pasco is a testament to how the company, which started in a farmhouse kitchen, became one of the most successful private businesses in the country, as Cory McCoy reports for Tri-City Herald. And an expansion is already in the works. While Reser’s has a wide variety of products, the Pasco facility will remain focused on the company’s most popular potato dishes.
Farmers’ rights activists say the PepsiCo India court case over its registration of a potato variety used to make its Lay’s potato chips, shows how companies which have registered plant varieties use coercive tactics against farmers to protect their interests. An ongoing court case between PepsiCo India and the petitioner, farmers’ rights activist Kavitha Kuruganti, has highlighted the tensions between plant-breeding corporations and farmers’ rights defenders in developing countries.
UK-wide potato supplier Branston is set to create 45 new jobs at its prepared foods factory near Lincoln after completing a £6m extension to the facility. The company has launched a recruitment drive to find new production operatives, quality controllers, technical administrators and forklift drivers after experiencing an increase in demand for its products.
McCain Foods has acquired Scelta Products, adding the Netherlands-based producer of frozen foods to its growing family of prepared vegetable appetizer product offerings. The deal represents a significant investment which, as McCain Foods says in a press release, ‘will fuel McCain’s growth and expansion in the frozen vegetable appetizer space’. McCain says it continues to look for opportunities to invest in acquisitions that align with its global leadership position.
Snow Valley Agriculture is one of the largest food and potato processing companies in China, with potato seed production at the core of its operation, also including the delivery of modern agricultural extension services. The company recently celebrated the opening of its third French fry processing line during a grand ceremony. The PEF unit that Elea supplied for cutting improvement, reduced oil uptake and enhanced product quality, has been the second Elea PEF system supplied to Snow Valley.
Lamb Weston Holdings announced this week an expansion of french fry processing capacity in Argentina with the planned construction of a new manufacturing facility in Mar del Plata, Buenos Aires. “Our investment in a new french fry processing facility demonstrates our continued confidence in the growing global market for frozen french fries, and our commitment to serving our customers in Argentina and the broader South American market,” said Tom Werner, President and CEO of Lamb Weston.
The southern Alberta potato industry continues to provide many opportunities in the region. “The potato industry continues to increase acres in southern Alberta, creating opportunities for local businesses,” said Jubs Bristow, Cavendish Farms agriculture vice president. With the new state-of-the art frozen potato processing facility opening in 2019, there is an increase in volume from 247 million pounds of potatoes to nearly 700 million pounds annually.
Newtec’s weighing, sorting and packing solutions offer reliability and efficiency of production for customers in the food industry. With its focus on establishing long-lasting trust with customers globally, Newtec helps companies optimise production through easy-to-use and durable weighing, sorting and packing equipment, minimising giveaway and turning produce into highly competitive end-products.
Europe’s blisteringly hot summer is forecast to result in the smallest potato crop in years, threatening further price rises for popular foods such as fries just as consumers contend with spiralling inflation. Parched conditions in Germany, France, the Netherlands and Belgium – the northwestern belt that accounts for most European Union potato output – could push EU production to its lowest on record, below that seen in similarly drought-hit 2018, according to analysts World Potato Markets.
Potato processor Simplot Australia has refused to budge on its second price offer to Tasmanian farmers for their potato crop this season, according to a report by Fiona Breen and Tony Briscoe for ABC Rural news. Farmers say the extra $105 a tonne the company put forward three weeks ago is still not enough to cover the cost of growing their crop this season, estimated to be about $20,000 a hectare. Simplot said it collectively considered every cost its growers incurred.
Food and beverage company PepsiCo India has launched its premium potato chips brand Lay’s Gourmet in India to tap into the growing market for premium snacks in the country, according to a news story published by the website Mint. Consumers in India have been moving up to better, more premium products as affluent households grow in size. In the top metros too such households are driving demand for more niche food and beverage brands.
When businesses behave with sustainability, it’s not only society that benefits – this can also help bring in new business. Stefaan Kennis, Director of Strategy, Market Intelligence and Sustainability at TOMRA Food, explains why – and how technologies can make this easy.
