The potato sector needs to concentrate on innovation and promotion in order to secure a greater market share, David Hughes, professor of food marketing at Imperial College, London told delegates at BP2005.
Hughes said that while the potato industry is slowly progressing, it was only just “emerging from the primordial swamp,” in terms of marketing prowess.
He pointed out that the industry is slow to react to challenges that threaten potato consumption, such as diets, and it needed to respond more quickly to consumer trends.
He said fresh produce is often under-priced: “We reduce the price and give it away. When a supermarket says it will promote your produce, do you say whoopee, or do you weep?” he asked.
Urging the sector to look at developing products for the premium end of the market, where research showed there was greatest opportunities for the UK, he added that delegates needed to understand the consumer even better than retailers in order to give them what they want
