News on Food Trends from United Kingdom

Soldier, Atlantic rower and motivational speaker, Rory Mackenzie, strives for success and is constantly searching for new challenges. Ticket holders to the sell-out BP2013 potato industry dinner, will get the opportunity to hear his inspirational story.

In the United Kingdom, Members of Parliament (MPs) were treated to a day of potatoes, as Potato Council was sponsored to attend Parliament during Potato Week (7-13 October).

In the United Kingdom, a high profile advertising campaign has been launched to drive awareness and sales of named potato varieties.

More than 140 potato growers, advisors and agronomists met at Frederick Hiam Ltd, Tuddenham, Suffolk at the end of August, 2013, for Potato Council’s East of England Potato Day.

Machinery manufacturer Tong Peal has announced a brand new machinery finishing process, as part of continued efforts to provide farmers and growers with the highest quality custom handling equipment.

Branston and Tesco are offering consumers the opportunity to have their moment of fame with their new ‘Pic on a Pack' initiative. Customers have at chance to have their photo featured on packs of freshly prepared Parmentier potatoes.

McCain Foods is set to unveil its new Happy Days campaign on 2 September, featuring outdoor, press, TV, cinema and in-store activity, along with a 3.7 million household door drop.

Growers, agronomists and technical specialists turned out in high numbers at Potatoes in Practice earlier this month on the James Hutton Institute’s Balruddery Farm, Invergowrie.

Importers and growers looking to buy high health, high quality seed are warmly invited to visit Potato Council’s stand at Potato Europe (Emmeloord, The Netherlands, September 11-12, 2013).

In the aftermath of last year’s difficult growing and harvesting season, almost one in ten of Britain’s potato growers decided to call it a day, but, according to Rob Clayton of the Potato Council, the 2013 acreage of potatoes in the UK has not fallen.

Furious potato growers are going head to head with supermarkets and restaurants in a campaign to reclaim the "British New Potato".

Potato processor McCain has contracted Soltens to remove and recycle by-products from its Scarborough french fry factory.

The Highlander crisps plant at Bathgate, West Lothian, closed on July 31 with the loss of 28 jobs.

Greenvale, the UK’s leading potato supplier, is putting spare spuds from its Shropshire site, Tern Hill and Cambridgeshire site, Floods Ferry, to good use by using them to tackle food waste by working with food distribution charity, FareShare.

Potato Council’s summer ‘Many Faces of Potatoes’ campaign has been hailed a major success, following positive industry and consumer feedback.

The North-Western European Potato Growers (NEPG) has issued an updated estimate of planted area for the 2013 crop (at the start of July).

Potato Chips Manufacturer Tyrrells Potato Crisps in the United Kingdom will get new ownership. Investcorp announced today that it has agreed to acquire Tyrrells Potato Crisps from Langholm Capital for £100 million.

The Potato Council’s first estimate of total potato plantings for the 2013 crop year in Great Britain is 121,200 hectares.