Dehydrated potatoes versatile option for food aid

Representatives for charitable organizations were back in Idaho this week to explore different ways of using dehydrated potatoes in international food aid programs.

The visit, sponsored by the U.S. Potato Board, included representatives from nine private voluntary organizations, including Africare, SHARE-Guatemala, Convoy of Hope, Feed My Starving Children, and Catholic Relief Services.

The main purpose of the workshop was to educate charitable groups about the nutritional value of dehydrated potatoes, their versatility and the role they can play in food aid programs, officials from the U.S. Potato Board said.

"We're really working on trying to give people information so they can make informed choices when they're putting together their food basket,"said T.K. Kuwahara, the potato board's international marketing manager for dehy.

One of the biggest advantages of dehydrated potatoes is ease of use, she said. All that's needed to reconstitute the dehydrated flakes into an edible product is potable water or liquid of some kind. Lengthy cooking times aren't needed.