Potato News from Europe

Now there will be even more reasons to purchase the sharing bags as KETTLE® Chips runs its first ever on pack promotion on the core 150g range (United Kingdom).

A large potato storage as well as a chips processing plant are planned in Ingushetia (Russian Federation)

El Instituto Vasco de Investigación y Desarrollo Agrario Neiker-Tecnalia y la empresa agroalimentaria Inkoa lideran un proyecto que busca promover las 'más innovadoras tecnologías' para mejorar la calidad de la papa en el este de África.

Europatat, the European Potato Trade Association, announces the appointment of Raquel Izquierdo de Santiago as the new Secretary General of the association.

The UK’s first peel front crisp packets are set to be released to market by Seabrook Crisps within its new, Lattice Cut range.

Snacks firm Seabrook Crisps is hailing the success of a turnaround programme which saw the company bounce back into profit last year.

Belgian Potato packer Pomuni has acquired its competitor Potato Masters in order to scale up operations in a stagnant European potato market [Update: no, they did not]

TOMRA Sorting Food has announced that its sorting, peeling and processing systems will be branded TOMRA as of today.

Dewulf, specialist in harvesting technology for potatoes and carrots, handed the key of the 20th Dewulf harvester of this season to the proud new owner, Geert Vansteelant.

TOMRA Sorting in Dublin has created a new centre of excellence for its food optical sorting and peeling business, and is set to improve its R&D capabilities after moving to a new facility in Citywest, Dublin.

The dates have been set for the famous UK Potato Week 2014; running from 6-12 October the campaign will celebrate the humble potato and encourage mums to ‘trade-up’ from generic whites to named varieties.

KETTLE® Chips is pleased to announce that it will be introducing three seasonal flavours to its range of delicious, hand cooked chips in time for the key Christmas sales period.

With two months still to go before the opening of INTERPOM | PRIMEURS 2014, the event is already bigger than last time – and virtually fully booked.

In 2013 Norton Farm Potatoes invested in a grading line designed and manufactured by Tong Peal. Therefore, Tong Peal were the first port of call when increased throughput meant they needed to add to their machinery.

Up to 186 jobs are under threat after KP Snacks said it had plans to close two of its factories in a move to streamline its business.

Tesco Northern Ireland’s commercial manager Cliff Kells has confirmed that sales of ‘Comber’ potatoes more than doubled, year-on-year, in local Tesco outlets during the months of July and August.

The North-Western European Potato Growers (NEPG) estimates that the upcoming
Potato harvest could set a new record, even higher than 2011 when production reached
26.8 million tons.

The <strong>FAO Food Price Index</strong> averaged 196.6 points in August 2014, its lowest level since September 2010. In August, the index registered its fifth consecutive monthly decline, down 7.3 points (3.6 percent) from July and 7.9 points (3.9 percent) from August 2013.