The Potato Council is pushing for potatoes to be known as a ‘supercarb’ - a carbohydrate with all the benefits of a vegetable - as part of its Love Potatoes campaign, which aims to regain market share from rival carbohydrates such as rice and pasta.
With growers, nutritionists and chefs on board, the council has decided to roll out the national awareness programme.
Kent-based farmer Matt Spanton is helping to lead the campaign to boost consumption, particularly among young people. He said: “The potato’s rich carbohydrate content often overshadows its vegetable status. Potatoes are undoubtedly a supercarb; they are packed full of energy, vitamins and minerals and fibre, as well as being naturally fat free. The term supercarb more accurately describes what we know is the nation’s favourite vegetable and highlights just how much goodness potatoes contain.”
Cook and TV presenter Gizzi Erskine is also adding weight to the nationwide campaign. She said: “I love potatoes. I think the term supercarb really captures all the goodness in potatoes and would help consumers to have a better understanding of this fantastically versatile vegetable. Not only are they packed full of nutrients but they are so easy to cook with too.”
The ‘easy’ and ‘quick’ messages, alongside ‘health’, are core to the Love Potatoes autumn marketing strategy, as this is where potatoes need to defend their position aainst other carbohydrates. Consumers, particularly the younger generation, are increasingly opting for rice and pasta and the industry needs to fight back to protect the long-term future for potatoes.
Speaking about the supercarb strategy at its launch in London, Helen Moulton, Potato Council marketing executive, said: “The campaign was devised on the back of research that found consumers to be lacking in knowledge about the vitamins, minerals and nutritional content to be gained from potatoes. What’s more, while they understand the importance of vegetables in today’s diets, they do not give the same credence to carbohydrates. Through this activity we are aiming to make consumers more aware of the benefits of potatoes and encourage them to eat them more often.”
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