The Kent Potato Company (KPC), based at St Nicholas-at-Wade, is to close on 1 December. The closure is understood to arise following the loss of a retail contract by Greenvale AP, the potato arm of Produce Investments and which owns KPC. Produce Investments said a period of consultation with KPC employees will close before 23 November, with some being transferred to fill[Read More…]
Retail
US: Grant aids Healthy Grown potato sales
The Wisconsin Potato and Vegetable Growers Association is working on expanding in-state sales and recognition of Healthy Grown potatoes, which are certified as ecologically grown, socially responsible and ecosystem-friendly. The promotion was made possible by a grant from the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection’s Buy Local, Buy Wisconsin program. The Wisconsin potato industry’s Healthy Grown program started in[Read More…]
UK: Kettle Chips launches Chef’s Signature range
Kettle Chips, the premium crisp brand, has announced the launch of Chef’s Signature, a new range featuring partnerships with some of the UK’s leading, premium food brands. New seasonings have been created by the Kettle Chips chef, Chris Barnard, utilising his 25 years plus expertise to combine the highest quality food ingredients with hand cooked potato chips. The new Chef’s collection[Read More…]
Fresh Solutions Network kicks off Spud Zone II at PMA Fresh Summit
Fresh Solutions Network is lining up to kickoff their best season ever, starting with hosting Spud Zone II at PMA Fresh Summit to be held October 23-25 in Atlanta, GA. Attendees can expect to see a full roster of innovative new products as well as meeting the Fresh Solutions Network team and learning about the marketing programs available to support[Read More…]
US fries are a go-to for innovation
The United States Potato Board (USPB) works with editors on an ongoing basis to secure potato-related placements to produce excitement for potatoes at foodservice. These foodservice facing communications range from photos, to recipes and interviews in key industry publications. The most recent insertion was in Flavor & the Menu’s September/October issue. This is one of the first times a US[Read More…]
Half-baked? Why Australia is getting a raw deal on potatoes
Why does a British supermarket sell around twice as many types of potato as the Australian equivalent at any one time, while relying on specific varieties rather than made-up brands? The experts agree that it’s partly because, unlike residents in many parts of Europe, Australians haven’t been adequately educated about the spud and its many varieties. “There are hundreds of[Read More…]
Idahoan Foods ‘simmers up’ new soup line and unveils on-the-go snack solution
Starting this month, lovers of hearty soups will have a new option with the introduction of Idahoan Steakhouse Potato Soup: an Idahoan Foods first-ever soup line. Real potatoes from Idaho are in every spoonful of these new soup flavors. Additionally, younger palates will find some of their favorite bold flavors in the new Idahoan Fully Loaded Mashed products. This collection comes in[Read More…]
New fully automated french fry vending machine developed in Wageningen
Dutch start-up Caenator, in collaboration with StartLife and Wageningen University & Research Centre, presented a new fully automatic french fry vending machine. On 2 September, in the Restaurant of the Future on the Wageningen Campus, the President of the Executive Board of Wageningen UR, prof. Louise Fresco, tried the first portion of fries from the machine. By doing so, she[Read More…]
UK: McCain brings out new quick-bake jacket potatoes
McCain Foods has brought out its new Signatures Jackets which have been developed in response to research showing customers want great tasting, filling and healthy value-for-money options. The jacket potatoes can be baked in under 15 minutes to help the time-consuming task of making them from scratch. The new potatoes also guarantee consistent sizes and help reduce waste, and can be made[Read More…]
Lay’s Potato Chip contest shows the importance of marketing
As the Lay’s Do Us a Flavour contest nears closer to an end — Canadians have until September 30th to vote, with the winner being announced in late November—we’re taking a look at how important it is to not only market your product, but also pursue new and inventive techniques to get consumers interested. This contest, put on by Lay’s[Read More…]
Oddball Organics: not your ordinary potato
RPE Inc. in Wisconsin is introducing a new addition to their family of exceptional brands– Oddball Organics™. Just as nutritious and delicious as traditional organic potatoes, Oddball Organics offers consumers a unique and affordable organic option. The only difference between these and traditional organic potatoes are the odd shapes or minor skin blemishes. Potatoes that are misshapen or contain minor[Read More…]
British Tyrrells Crisps acquired Australian Yarra Valley Snack Foods
UK chip brand, Tyrrells Potato Crisps Ltd, has acquired the Australian company Yarra Valley Snack Foods. Yarra Valley Snack Foods, producer of the Thomas Chipman Organic Chips range, is based in Lilydale, Melbourne, Victoria. Yarra Valley Snack Foods owns a number of different snack food brands including Thomas Chipman chips, Goody Goody Popcorn, Puff-O’s cheese snacks, Hole-Sum corn chips, Mexicana[Read More…]
Canada: Crafting A Great Brand
New Brunswick’s Covered Bridge Potato Chip Company is using its keen marketing prowess to promote its products, and it’s getting noticed in the national media. The Canadian potato chip industry is a big business, with Research and Markets pegging its value at an impressive $1.6 billion by the close of 2016. It’s also highly competitive —with a plethora of well-known[Read More…]
Australians prefer pre-packaged potatoes in small bags
The latest report from consumer research project, Potato Tracker, has shown that consumers believe one to two kilogram packages are the ideal sizes for bagged spuds. “Twenty-four per cent of those surveyed indicated a preference for one kilogram bags that offer convenience, while a further 28 per cent said they would like two kilogram bags that also offer value,” said[Read More…]
Greater understanding of potatoes’ nutrient value leading to growth in popularity
On this week’s Ag Report on Greening of the Great Lakes, Adam Novello, business program manager for the Michigan Potato Industry Commission, says potatoes continue to grow in popularity, with the expansion of healthy potato-based dishes and a better understanding of the nutritional value of potatoes. “Research shows that potatoes are a good nutritional choice for families, and we’re working[Read More…]
New UK shop serves only potato chip sandwiches
After Belfast, a second shop serving sandwiches stuffed with potato chips — or crisps, as the Brits would say — has opened for junk food junkies. Mr. Crisp opened in Keighley, West Yorkshire in northern England this week, where customers can choose from 50 varieties of chip and crisp flavours and a selection of conveyor buns such as white or brown[Read More…]
India: McCain products on food safety watchdog’s reject list
McCain Foods are reportedly on a list of companies that have seen some of their products rejected for approval by India’s food safety watchdog. According to local news publication India Info, minister of state for health Shripad Naik said the products were rejected due to lack of supporting documents for safety assessment. A spokesperson for McCain confirmed it has “ceased[Read More…]
Australian research: Consumers lack a good understanding of potatoes
Few people in Australia know which variety of potato they are putting on their plate, new research reveals. The Potato Tracker project found that potatoes were the most popular item on consumers’ fruit and vegetable list, ahead of tomatoes, carrots cucumbers and lettuce. Despite this, there was a knowledge gap in people’s understanding of the food. AUSVEG spokesman Alexander Miller said[Read More…]
Japan: Calbee’s ‘super sour lemon’ potato chips are not an entirely terrible idea
In the crowded and frequently disappointing world of novelty potato chips, a “super sour lemon” flavor seems especially unneeded. The “warning” on the front of the bag describes it as Calbee’s “riskiest” product to date. Who wants a snack that places all emphasis on the endurance-test taste quality of the food? Yet despite this potential trap, Calbee’s super sour chips (¥140)[Read More…]
Signs of a recovery in the Canadian french-fry business
While the rest of the agriculture sector nervously eyes the oil melt-down, the Canadian potato industry might actually be poised for a comeback. There may be early signs of hope. The U.S. recovery has taken hold and consumers have begun to spend again — including buying fries at quick-serve restaurants. Oil prices have plummeted, dragging down the Canadian dollar. Will[Read More…]
Germany: Demand for potatoes drops even further
The nice summer weather has a negative influence on the demand for potatoes on the German market. This, states Carsten Berger of the Hamburger potato wholesaler “Carsten Berger Kartoffelhandel”. “With temperatures of around 40 degrees the is demand low,” says the wholesaler. Prices, especially for new potatoes are high, explains Berger. “Prices for new produce is relatively high while the[Read More…]
The potato chip frenzy in Korea
A frenzy over a potato chip in South Korea isn’t letting up. Nearly a year after its launch, Honey Butter Chip remains a wildly popular and difficult-to-track-down snack in South Korea. Some retailers say they have introduced rationing, limiting customers to a few bags to prevent hoarding. Local news media have featured stories of stores trying to prevent fights between[Read More…]
UK: Heinz factory to reopen under new Albert Bartlett owners
Farmers are welcoming the news the former Heinz factory near North Walsham will be producing potato-based products from this September following a four-month closure. The Westwick factory, which closed at the end of April this year, was bought by Scottish-based Albert Bartlett whose Rooster brand potatoes are widely sold in UK supermarkets. More than 100 members of Aylsham Agricultural Show[Read More…]
Company seeking exclusive right to sell square crisps in Denmark
A Danish company has gone to court to try to stop a rival from making square-shaped crisps, it’s reported. Snack manufacturer Kims (Chips AB) has been selling the square, ridged Snack Chips for almost three decades in Denmark. But this year saw the arrival of a competitor crisp – Taffel’s Super Snacks (Intersnack), which are a similar shape and size.[Read More…]
McCain Hellas: An economic crisis never seen before in Greece
Georges Ghonos, the managing director of McCain Hellas, the Greek division of Canada’s McCain Foods, is a pickpocket’s dream. His black, leather wallet is as thick as a hockey puck. That’s because it is stuffed with €1,200 ($1,670) in cash. “The banks are shut and I need to give some cash to my wife so she can get to the island,”[Read More…]
Editor & Publisher: Lukie Pieterse
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