News on Potato Varieties and Seed from Northern America

If the Innate GMO potato is going to take off, depends on Simplot winning over three major factions, Farmers, big buyers such as McDonald's and the Consumer

A potato genetically engineered to reduce the amounts of a potentially harmful ingredient in French fries and potato chips has been approved for commercial planting, the Department of Agriculture announced on Friday.

Following the discovery of potato wart on Prince Edward Island (PEI) in August the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) notified the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) of temporary mitigation efforts by CFIA.

Potandon Produce LLC will be showcasing two new varieties at the upcoming PMA show, the Klondike Royale, a wonderful yellow fleshed potato and Smiley’s, a petite yellow-fleshed potato with naturally occurring marks on the surface of the skin which resemble smiles.

Growers of the potato variety Lamoka used for chip processing have seen a higher than normal incidence of blackleg in their fields this summer.

Keystone Food Products is pleased to announce that its signature line of snacks, The Real Deal Snacks, has received the Non-GMO Project Verified seal from the Non-GMO Project, an independent verification that assures a product has been produced according to best practices for GMO avoidance.

Canada's private potato breeders are calling for a bigger say in how new varieties are developed in Canada.

The Dutch potato cooperative Agrico has recently purchased more shares in its joint investment Parkland Seed Potatoes Ltd, granting it a majority stake in this Canadian seed potato company.

Fresh Solutions Network has been named as a finalist for the 2014 PMA Impact Awards in Excellence in Packaging for their innovation and excellence in the Side Delights Gourmet Petite potato product line.

The United States Potato Board (USPB) is pleased to announce Amy Burdett has joined its staff as Marketing Operations Director in the Denver office.

A Florida-based potato farmer who recently won an award for his sustainable irrigation methods firmly believes all farmers should adopt the system for the good of the planet.

The J.R. Simplot Co. expects USDA approval for its genetically modified Innate potatoes within the next two months. Simplot Plant Sciences Director of Commercialization Kerwin Bradley outlined the strategy for marketing the potatoes at the Potato Association of America meeting in Spokane.

A decline in overall potato consumption has Texas A&M AgriLife Research breeders working on “designer” potatoes that meet the time constraints and unique tastes of a younger generation.

Hardbite Potato Chips is the first Canadian made potato chip brand to receive Non-GMO Project verification on two of its premium snack food items.

As part of the second and final public environmental assessment comment period for the J.R. Simplot Company's petition to deregulate its biotech Innate™ 1.0 potatoes, the National Potato Council submitted comments to the Federal Register noting that the technology 'could effectively address key production and processing issues facing the potato industry.'

Among US families, avoiding GMO's is increasingly becoming one of the drivers to buy organic foods.

Vermont will likely be the first state in the United States to require food manufacturers to label products containing genetically modified organisms.

Potatoes bred to make great potato chips were the feature attraction at the annual unveiling of new potato varieties at the federal Potato Research Centre in Fredericton this week.