Are women put off potatoes?

While celebrity followers such as Jennifer Aniston may have lost interest in the Atkins Diet, its impact is still being felt by the potato industry.

The diet, which suggests the complete cutting out of carbohydrates, has been attributed to helping promote the idea that potatoes are somehow fattening.

Now data from Kantar Worldpanel shows that the biggest drop in potato consumption is among 17-24-year-old women, declining by 6.4 per cent in the 52 weeks to September 2012.

Chef David Mooney, restaurant entrepreneur and often to be seen helping the Hairy Bikers, says crucially this is an age when women tend to become more choosy with the food they eat. “There is a falsehood that potatoes are fattening, when really it’s all the butter and the type of oil they are cooked in,” he explains.

“We have to get the message across that not only are potatoes very healthy, but also versatile. There is a whole generation that has lost a love of cooking, and we need to bring that back.”

Consumption of potatoes has been in decline, and not only among young women. The British have cut back from 28 trips to the category to 27. While spend has reduced by 2.5 per cent, this has been attributed to a fall in prices and budget-conscious shoppers switching to cheaper varieties.

Caroline Evans, The Potato Council’s head of marketing and corporate affairs, says there has been little change in volumes over recent years, showing there is still strong demand for potatoes.

“The latest 12-week data is more positive, with volume flat but an eight per cent year-on-year increase in expenditure. Long term it is essential that work continues to give shoppers a reason to trade up and buy named varieties.”

Indeed at Albert Bartlett, the Rooster brand continues to do well. Marketing executive Anne Rodgers says it has seen “very encouraging figures over the last six weeks, indicating that consumer loyalty is still strong even against the consistent pressure they are experiencing in their weekly budget.”

“The current 12-week Kantar information also indicates that Rooster is overindexing in the under-28 and the 35–44 age groups against the total potato category,” she adds. “We would hope to see this trend continue following on from our recent television campaign starring Jesse Metcalfe. We used him as we wanted to engage with our core consumer, but also attract a younger consumer back into potatoes.”

However, given the shortfall in potato yields, prices look certain to rise and this could potentially derail any attempts to move shoppers towards higher-value varieties. NFU potato forum chairman Tim Papworth says given the weather conditions and the lack of produce, growers will be looking for a better return on their potatoes. “This has been a very difficult year, a very expensive year with the cost of inputs rising significantly,” he adds. “With the shortages, there is going to be a squeeze on prices. The Potato Council has been doing some excellent work with the consumer that should help.”

Indeed, recently the Potato Council has been working with the supply chain to develop a new approach for the fresh retail sector. Central to the strategy is helping shoppers to understand the different tastes and textures.

Evans says that by showing the potential beyond mash, chips and roasting, there is the chance to drive up the value of the industry.

Sainsbury’s is also injecting more interest in the category, offering a variety of potatoes to appeal to different customers and budgets. “Both the size of the potato and pack play a contributing role in how the customer will cook with them and who it is intended for,” says a spokeswoman. “In particular, Taste the Difference products are aimed at making lives easier, such as Vivaldi baking potatoes and British Gem new potatoes, which are ideal as a quick meal accompaniments.”

With so many rooting for the potato, hopefully next year will prove to be a happier picture. —

BEING BOLD IN THE COLD

At a time when the potato industry is experiencing many difficulties, marketer Arundel Kerr Produce is using the latest in green technology to help businesses overcome the challenges. Samantha Lyster reports

The accounts of problems within the potato industry are many, stemming mainly from weather wiping out crops. However, despite a slight reduction in sales volumes, demand for the produce is still strong.

In the coming months, many growers will be looking to get the best out of the produce available as well as the best price. Potato marketer AKP is planning to help them to do just that through a programme of investment into its storage facilities.

AKP managing director Richard Arundel says that the company took a long-term view when deciding to invest at this crucial time. “The whole investment programme could be classed as a green initiative,” he says.

“The potato production business is heavily capital intensive, we need to continually invest in order to cope with the growth that we have experienced over the past five years, without reducing the level of potato quality.

“The quality of service that we can provide our customers is also important, especially in an increasingly demanding and competitive market place not only in the UK, but in continental Europe.”

AKP has opened new storage facilities in Lincolnshire and Yorkshire, ensuring it has the highest specification in terms of insulation, to cut down on electricity usage in the cold store process, along with the use of the most up-to-date energy-efficient refrigeration equipment. This adds to the humidification to reduce potato weight loss. And it is helping one of its largest clients, Morrisons, to cut down on food miles and reduce costs by sourcing more potatoes locally.

The project had assistance, with 30 per cent grant funding, but the investment means that AKP can now store and maintain potatoes through to the very end of June.

“This is something that we were not able to do to such a high standard in our older stores, so now it enables us to supply our customers with the very best quality, late season, cold store potatoes,” adds Arundel.

“This results in added value for our growers that the quality of the potatoes warrants. The potato industry is undoubtedly going through some difficult times. We are optimistic about the future, however, we foresee significant changes in the structure of the supply chain as growers look to take less risk in the crop and push this risk onto the processors and suppliers, such as ourselves.

“Our model of vertical integration at AKP should enable us to continue to grow potatoes and our business in a profitable way for the future.”—