Potato News from Europe

Lyckeby has begun construction of a new tank facility to increase modified potato starch capacity. The major investment supports its long-term growth strategy, with commissioning scheduled for 2028.

Elea Technology received the Silver International FoodTec Award 2027 for PiCon Sense, a digital platform combining real-time acoustic and vibration monitoring with AI-supported analysis to optimise PEF processing and improve process consistency.

The Dutch Potato Organisation celebrated Potato Tuesday on October 6 at Utrecht Central Station during the Week of Our Food. Visitors can enjoy free recipe booklets and discover the people behind the Dutch potato industry.

Tys van Elk has started as General Manager of Sormac in Venlo. He will work with colleagues, customers and partners to build the future of the family-owned fruit and vegetable processing equipment manufacturer.

The FAO Food Price Index averaged 136.0 points in September 2026, up 2.0 points (1.5 percent) from its revised August level. Price indices for crop-based commodity groups (cereals, vegetable oils, and sugar) all increased from the previous month

FAM STUMABO updated the feeding system of the SureTec 240P to process potatoes and sweet potatoes up to 200 mm in diameter, improve product orientation, maximize french fry length, and simplify machine setup.

Deprez will present its interactive 'The Factory of the Future' concept at Fruit Attraction 2026 in Madrid and Interpom 2026 in Kortrijk, demonstrating integrated product handling, automation and optimized product flow from receiving to storage and processing.

HZPC France has begun construction of a new greenhouse in Ruisseauville to produce up to 2 million mini potato tubers, supporting greater production autonomy, improved quality and faster marketing capacity in France.

Pomuni and Deprez mark a partnership spanning generations. From long-standing cooperation to modern automation, their collaboration supports more efficient logistics, increased productivity and continued innovation at Pomuni’s Ranst facility.

Ellips’ Elisam CombiGrader grades potatoes and onions on one compact line, switching between crops within seconds. True-AI and light transmittance technology detect internal and external defects at up to 15 t/h, with a 15-meter footprint.

Croptimal has launched the tractor-mounted Croptiscan 3000, using camera and recognition technology to detect PVY and leaf roll early in seed potato crops, providing smaller growers with an alternative to fully self-driving machines.

ELEA demonstrated PiCon Sense and PiCon Vision on a potato PEF treatment line at PEF Advantage Day 2026, highlighting process monitoring, product quality and production performance while advancing research and industrial PEF applications.

Industry forecasts indicate extreme heat and drought could cut potato production by more than 3.5 million tonnes across Great Britain and NEPG countries in 2026, with losses valued at up to EUR 818 million (USD 937.4 million).

PotatoEurope 2026 and SugarBeet Expo opened in Germany, showcasing innovations for climate-resilient root-crop production. DLG President Paetow highlighted drought, pests, global markets and the need for competitive, sustainable farming systems.

The new QualityGrader builds on years of experience with hundreds of machines worldwide. With improved flexibility, capacity, serviceability and AI sorting, it delivers smarter optical quality control for today’s and tomorrow’s needs.

Urschel will showcase three high-capacity cutting solutions at Alimentaria FoodTech 2026 in Barcelona, including the new Little Gem Aspire™ Dicer, M VersaPro® Dicer and Comitrol® Disc Mill 380 for produce and nut processing.

Royal HZPC Group highlights how potato breeding can reduce disease pressure and crop protection needs, while Integrated Crop Management and climate adaptation help build more resilient and sustainable production systems.

INTERPOM 2026 will bring 330 exhibitors from 15 countries to Kortrijk, Belgium, from November 29 to December 1. The sold-out trade fair will focus on resilience, innovation and sustainability across the potato supply chain.