Potato News from the United States

Jake Blauer is the newly hired post-harvest potato physiologist at Washington State University.

At the National Potato Council (NPC) 2021 Annual Meeting held virtually due to travel restrictions, Dominic LaJoie of Van Buren, Maine was elected to serve as NPC’s 2021 President and to head the grower-led organization’s Executive Committee.

Food and food packaging are highly unlikely to spread COVID-19, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in a reminder last week.

Bedford Industries introduces CloseIt® Bio-Clip, its new plant-based bag closure containing 100% USDA certified biobased content that is commercially compostable.

This case study by Intralox at US subsidiary of snack manufacturer Calbee shows how a proper choice of belt type can reduce both cleaning labor and cleaning time. 

On February 17, 2021, the Mexican Supreme Court released a draft ruling that would overturn a 2017 lower court decision preventing the Mexican federal government from implementing regulations to allow the import of fresh US potatoes throughout the country.

United States potato exports continue to recover but remain behind previous year levels. Exports for the first six months of the marketing year, July – December 2020, are behind the record levels set in 2019.

February is Potato Lover's Month and Arrowfarms companies Morning Kiss Organic and Gold Bell are introducing new, compostable paper bag potato packaging.

Bill Guenthner of Guenthner Farms was elected WPVGA Board President for 2021. The WPVGA Associate Division Board of Directors elected Chris Brooks of Central Door Solutions to be its President for 2021. The WSPIA Board of Directors elected J.D. Schroeder of Schroeder Bros. Farms, President for 2021.

The Washington Potato Co. facility in Warden still smolders the next morning and smoke fills the air after a fire broke out in a potato dehydrator the afternoon of Jan. 21, prompting a response from fire departments across Grant and neighboring Adams counties.

Long-time potato and vegetable growers Norm and Marv Worzella of Worzella & Sons, Inc., Plover, Wisconsin, were inducted into the Wisconsin Potato and Vegetable Growers Association Hall of Fame at the industry’s annual awards ceremony held February 3, 2021.

In the end, 2020 was a pretty good year for Idaho’s iconic potato industry, but it sure wasn’t easy.

Less than six months after raising $7M in a Series A round, PeaTos®, the revolutionary snack chip brand, announced that it has secured Post Holdings, Inc. to lead its $12.5M Series B round.

People who have long loved the snack at the center of this iconic Cincinnati jingle soon will be unable to heed its cheery call.

New research looks at how restaurants and consumers were changed by the events of 2020 and the year of transition ahead.

Partnership advances PepsiCo's commitments to expand its portfolio of positive choices for consumers and for the planet. The venture will allow Beyond Meat to reach more consumers by entering new product categories and distribution channels.

As the biggest snacking day of the year approaches, the Pringles® brand is ready for take-off and releasing its fourth consecutive Big Game spot. Fans were given a sneak peek via the Pringles social channels, and the brand is now debuting the full spot.

Just as QSR-chains use enticing menu board images to drive sales of combo meals, jumbo-sized slushies and other selections, retail grocers are using the same concept to capture the attention of shoppers looking for a side dish for their next prepared, at-home meal.