PotatoPro Newsletter January 17, 2007
In This Issue
Subscribe

Subscribe to our Free PotatoPro Newsletters

News for Potato Processing Professionals. Subscribe and receive the free PotatoPro Newsletter in your E-mail every week:
Name
Email

Back Issues

Click here to see previous issues.

On PotatoPro
Companies

Information

 

 From the Editor

Dear Subscriber,

In the UK, a battle is brewing between the food industry and the Food Standard Agency(FSA), the UK Food watchdog. The dispute is about signposting the nutritional content of food: how to inform the consumer which products are healthy and which are not. The FSA wants to introduce a "front of pack labeling" with "traffic lights" for each of the nutrients fat, saturates (saturated fat), sugar and salt. However, the food industry resists the introduction of this labeling system and several major companies, including Frito-lay are even working on the introduction of an alternative system

There are a few food processors who support the FSA traffic lights system and one of them is McCain Foods GB. This left me wondering why McCain 's view differed from that of the rest of the the industry. This week, a publication titled "Are french fries the new Health Food? "provided the answer: McCain announced their new "rustic" potato chips scored "green" in all four categories (fat, saturates, sugar and salt). Also, if you check out the other potato products on McCain's website, there is no red to be found. The typical product scores two green and two orange. [You can check it out at http://www.mccain.co.uk, follow "products". I can't link to it because it is a flash website. Also you may want to turn of your audio.] 

So the traffic lights system works well for McCain. And why would you oppose a system that so clearly communicates the healthy properties of your products?

Bring on the oven fries...

Enjoy reading

Paul van Eijck

 

Potato Starch and Potato Flakes

Due to the weather conditions in Europe last summer, the potato harvest was significantly lower than normal. We discussed this in this newsletter on several occasions (spt 17, oct 10). The low harvest now results in shortages of several potato products, certainly for potato starch and potato flakes. If you still have these products on offer, please let me know, as I have various clients looking for additional supply.

 Featured Market Research
McCain case study: strategies for boosting sales of frozen food
 
This report on McCain forms part of Datamonitor's case studies series, which explores business practices across a variety of disciplines and business sectors. Each case study provides a concise evaluation of a company that stands out in some area of its strategic operations  more...
More market research reports..

 

 

News Headlines