Potato News from United Kingdom

Potato blight programmes are being severely disrupted by strong winds preventing spray applications.

Heinz has restarted one of the three production lines at its Aunt Bessies frozen potato factory in Westwick, Norfolk after a major fire three weeks ago.

En el Reino Unido se realizó un estudio en almacenes de conservación de patatas con la finalidad de saber qué niveles de CO2 existen normalmente a lo largo de la conservación

after fire Heinz’s frozen and chilled foods facility near Norwich remains closed, 12 days after a devastating fire that destroyed the area of the site that produces Aunt Bessie’s potato products.

Tong Peal Engineering is exhibiting its latest range of farm and pack house equipment at Cereals 2011.

Lack of rain has affected most of England and Wales and unusually dry ground may result in higher levels of common scab than in the last few years, says Potato Council technical executive Chris Steele.

Production has been halted at a Heinz factory in North Walsham, Norfolk after a major fire over the weekend. <br><br>The fire, reasons for which are currently unknown, began at around midnight on Friday night and was finally put out by around tea time the next day.

Oven chip specialist McCain Foods' efforts to reformulate its product range combined with a targeted PR campaign has helped it to successfully navigate the healthy food storm

There were no positive findings of the potato disease Dickeya during post-harvest sampling of the Scottish 2010/11 potato crop, SASA has announced.

McCain Foods GB is launching Potato Fingers to meet a gap in the market for a potato product aimed at older children who may have grown out of child marketed products such as McCain Smiles.

Many potato crops are now emerging alongside intensive weed competition, with continued dry weather conditions having significantly reduced the efficacy of all residual herbicide treatments.

Bags of crisps are set to cost a packet - thanks to the soaring cost of potatoes.

School cooks across the country are being offered new inspiration for using potatoes on healthy menus for children

In Britain, each person eats 207lb of this versatile vegetable every year and surveys suggest two-thirds of us believe in the case of the jacket spud at least that it qualifies as one of our recommended 'five portions of fruit and veg a day'.

There may be political turmoil in the Middle East but Scottish seed potato exports to that part of the world have just risen to new heights.

A highlight from this report: UK exports of fresh potatoes to Holland in January were 11 times higher than the 3 year average