No-nonsense, no-frills potato news stories from around the world
Frito-Lay today announced the near completion of its Modesto, California, facility’s transformation into a first-of-its-kind showcase for sustainable manufacturing, warehousing, and distribution technologies. It is one of the largest Frito-Lay manufacturing facilities in the US, and is the first Frito-Lay facility to implement site-wide alternative fuel vehicles, on-site renewable energy generation, energy storage equipment and employee electric vehicle charging stations.
The local potato industry has assured South Africans that it would be able to meet local demand for French fries after heavy “anti-dumping” duties were imposed by the International Trade Administration Commission (Itac) in July last year on Belgium, German and Dutch suppliers. Potatoes SA acting marketing manager, Jaco Koekemoer, said the country has a sufficient supply of fresh potatoes, with forecasts looking promising over the next 12 months.
Today Lamb Weston / Meijer released its Sustainability Report 2021-2022. The company says it made good progress on the three key challenges through which it believes it can make the greatest contribution, as it strives to achieve its sustainability agenda and create positive impact from potato to plate.
Throughout 2022, potato growers in the EU were impacted by higher production costs, largely from energy, fertiliser and transportation. As Alice Witchalls reports in a news story for Mintec, higher costs are weighing on growers’ profit margins and are driving the cost of cultivation and storage to unsustainable levels. There is a risk that in consecutive seasons some farmers will opt to grow alternative crops.
An Australia-wide shortage has led some cafés and restaurants to temporarily substitute frozen potato chips [fries] with sweet potato, or take it off the menu altogether, while one major supermarket has introduced limits on the number of bags customers can buy, as Amy Hall reports for SBS News.
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.
Zweifel Pomy-Chips AG has been the leading potato chip manufacturer in Switzerland for many years. Every day, tons of raw material from Swiss fields are processed into high-quality, crispy chips for the food retail trade throughout Switzerland. For the water-intensive washing process, Zweifel has been relying on the innovative recirculation system from VAM Watertech for about five years.
TOMRA Food’s Processed Food business area has appointed its first Global Category Director for Vegetables and Fruit. The new role – created as part of TOMRA’s ongoing strategy to tailor solutions even more precisely to specific food categories – has been filled by Belgian Jacob Hobbel.
Pulsemaster, a leading provider of Pulsed Electric Field (PEF) systems for the potato processing industry, earlier today announced the appointment of Ben Lemieux as Key Account Manager responsible for the Americas region. Mr. Lemieux joins Pulsemaster with 28 years of experience in the food processing industry. He is based in Canada’s New Brunswick province.
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.
Everyone loves a good potato chip, but in Pennsylvania, they take it to the next level, writes Katherine Beck in a news story published by TastingTable. Their passion for the salty snack is so strong that the state’s unofficial nickname is the so-called “Potato Chip Capital of the World.” But more specifically, there is a “beltline” in the southern part of the state where potato chips reign supreme, according to NPR.
Belgian producer of frozen chips Clarebout last week announced that it has acquired potato processor Mydibel. Mydibel is a family-run company with three branches in Belgium, employing almost 800 people. The company processes potato products, including fries, croquettes and mashed potatoes, as well as potato flakes and granules. Clarebout intends to build a new third processing factory in Dunkirk, France.
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.
What does a perfect snack do? It crunches! The “crunch” factor was on top as an important component of the perfect snack in the latest Frito-Lay U.S. Trend Index. The index polled consumers on their snacking preferences and found that more than 70 percent of snackers would reach for a food with a crunch when considering their perfect snack. The Snack Index found other important snack factors included sweet (66%), salty (61%) and filling (53%).
Arbitrators have ruled in favour of the EU in the World Trade Organization (WTO) appeal regarding Colombia’s anti-dumping duties on frozen fries originating from Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands. The European Potato Processors’ Association (EUPPA) says in a news release the final and binding award confirms that these anti-dumping duties breach WTO rules and improperly restrict access to the Colombian market.
Vanmark, an industrial potato and produce processing equipment manufacturer, announced today that it has added installation services to its offerings. This means that customers can now purchase Vanmark equipment with the option to have the company install it in their facilities. Installation services are offered through Vanmark’s sister company PFI.
Filipino brand Potato Corner continues to expand internationally with the opening of its first branch in London. Known for serving flavored fries, Potato Corner launched its first store in Britain at the Medz Corner Food Court at Kensington High Street on December 10, according to an announcement by the Philippine Embassy in the United Kingdom.
It might not be so easy to get your hands on some delicious hot chips [fries] this summer or when you do, be prepared to pay a higher price than usual. As Chantelle Francis reports for News.com.au, processed potatoes used for potato chips, crisps and other potato products are in tight supply, the industry warns.
When peeling vegetables, many processing lines waste huge amounts of food – and potential revenue. With modern peeling machines, however, this can be prevented, while also reducing energy costs and water consumption. Eamonn Cullen, Marketing Manager Peeling at TOMRA Food, explains how. Food losses can be as high as 30% during mechanical peeling and 20% with low-tech steam peelers – and much of this lost revenue is preventable, Cullen says.
The general manager of Merlog Foods, told Farmer’s Weekly that the price of frozen French fries had almost doubled over the past year in South Africa due to the introduction of import tariffs, which, according to him, created a shortage of French fries on the market. However, Willie Jacobs, CEO of Potatoes SA, stressed that the import tariffs, which amounted to 23% for Belgium, 104% for the Netherlands and 181% for German suppliers, were necessary to protect the local industry against “dumping” and did not affect food security in South Africa.
Mister Bee Potato Chips has been selected as the “Best West Virginia Made Food Product” in West Virginia Living magazine’s “Best of West Virginia” contest for the second consecutive year. The state’s only potato chip manufacturer won after receiving the most customer votes. The small, woman-owned business operating out of Parkersburg since 1951 is now employing 80 people, up from 20 employees when Mary Anne Ketelsen became president.
Australia is facing a potato shortage after wild east coast weather ravaged farms and delayed growers’ sowing crops — which means hot chippies are becoming scarce — but don’t worry, there’s a man with a plan, as Rebecca Le May and Elisia Seeber report for PerthNow. The Spudshed founder Tony Galati revealed to The West Australian he has brought forward a long-standing plan to add a frozen chip and potato crisp processing arm to his ever-expanding horticulture and retail empire.
Yara has signed a memorandum of understanding with El Parque Papas to deliver fossil free green fertilizers to the biggest potato farmer in Argentina. This marks an important step towards making one of the most popular snacks in the country climate friendly, Yara says in a press release. El Parque Papas is the biggest singular potato farmer in Argentina. They supply 14,000 metric tons of potatoes every year to the Argentinian potato industry, including production of some of the most popular chips in the country.
Feel free to get in touch with Lukie!
He will be most happy to share potato news stories from your country on Potato News Today.
lukie@potatonewstoday.com
lukie5555@gmail.com
Connect on LinkedIn
Follow on Twitter
About us
