York based Cockerills, which already supplies potatoes from growers in the region to two discount retailers, will be expanding its packhouse operation which washes grades and packs potatoes. The investment will double its capacity over a five year period and it is anticipated that 85 per cent of the extra potato tonnage will be sourced from our region’s growers.
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The Potato Council is set to target its Love Potatoes summer campaign at young families in a bid to secure the long-term future of the category.
The initiative follows research commissioned by the trade body that shows four in five young mothers do not know that the first home-grown potatoes are harvested in May and 60 per cent have no idea where potatoes are grown.
An online survey by OnePoll found that more than a third (35 per cent) of mothers with young children said the British new potato season was not important to them.
This is borne out by consumption statistics, which show that only 59 per cent of meals cooked by young families feature potatoes, compared with 79 per cent of meals cooked by pensioners.
The overarching themes for this year’s campaign will include Me for a Day, aimed at educating consumers about how spuds go from field to fork, from chitting through to planting and harvesting. The activities will also reinforce the fact that one kilo of potatoes can be used to make up to five meals and costs as little as 77p.
The campaign was launched at an event to mark the start of the Suffolk new potato season, at James Foskett Farm, near Woodbridge.
The Greenvale supplier is just a few weeks into the harvest.
Grower James Foskett told FPJ: “The crop was early this year because we had a lovely, sunny May, so we have achieved respectable yields and good quality – now we are just waiting to get going and shift it…
“We must encourage young mums to eat more potatoes and highlighting the work we do to grow and harvest potatoes is a key way of doing this.”
Potato Council marketing manager Kathryn Race said: “Potato sales may be up, but the make-up of the market is worrying. Housewives aged over 45 account for more than 66 per cent of the fresh potato spend, so winning the support of mums is key if we want the next generation to grow up loving the potato.
“If consumers are not introduced to potatoes at an early age, the long-term implications for the British potato industry could be significant.”
Fenmarc Produce has toured four local schools in support of the UK-wide Potatoes for Schools project.
The Cambridgeshire-based supplier took its sister company Agrimarc and mascot Potato Pete to visit Weston Hills Primary in Spalding, Ten Mile Bank in Littleport, and Southfields Infant and Junior School in Peterborough.
The pupils listened to presentations given by Agrimarc innovations manger Jonathan Pearson about the history of potatoes, how they grow and are harvested.
The children took the visitors into their vegetable gardens to show off their hard work.
All the schools visited had several potato plants well on their way to producing some fantastic spuds.
Pearson said: “I was really impressed by how enthusiastic the children were and just how much they had already learnt through the project. They were passionate about looking after the plants and couldn’t wait to either sell the produce or take the potatoes home to their families to enjoy.”
Kathryn Race from the Potato Council added: “The Grow Your Own potatoes project, linked to the National Curriculum, helps teachers to educate pupils about the potato’s role in a healthy diet. Some 375,000 pupils are being challenged to plant, grow and harvest the heaviest yield of potatoes this year – making it our most successful year ever. The Potato Council is keen to support primary schools nationwide as Grow your Own Potatoes provides so many learning opportunities for children, but we would not be able to achieve this without industry support. We would like to thank companies like Fenmarc for the support and enthusiasm they bring to the project.”
