Foodbanks benefit from Idaho Potato surplus

Food banks, charities and hungry people in Idaho are benefiting from a Idaho's surplus of potatoes.

J.R. Simplot Co. donated 35,000 pounds of spuds Feb. 16 to the Idaho Foodbank and the Boise Rescue Mission.

"This is a tremendous donation,"he said. "We're very grateful. It's going to feed a lot of people."

Simplot couldn't make french fries out of the spuds because the sugar content was too high, he said. High sugar content causes potatoes to fry up too dark.

The Idaho Foodbank has also received recent donations of about 20,000 pounds each from three different potato growers in Eastern Idaho, Proctor said. The donors include Wada Farms of Aberdeen and producers near Grace and Rexburg.