'We need to be loud and proud about potatoes,” Potato Council chair Fiona Fell has urged UK consumers, as Potato Week reaches the halfway mark.
Her rallying cry comes at a time where current market conditions are a 'great concern' to many of the body's levy-payers, and are already causing 'severe difficulties' for some.
“Our market intelligence shows steady growth in processing volumes but a decline in fresh,' she said. 'However this rate of reduction has thankfully eased throughout the summer months.”
Nevertheless, she added: “We’ve seen a concerning estimate of a large crop in northern Europe from the NEPG (north-western European potato growers), which will exert market pressure in the UK.
“We’ve already seen French farmers buy back their own potatoes from retailers in protest and Irish farmers camped out at retailers’ HQs.”
Despite the turmoil, Fell is confident that the Potato Week campaign can strike a chord with consumers. She said: “This week is all about bringing our nation’s number one carbohydrate to people’s attention.It’s part of our three key aims, assisting with promotion, production and protection of the potato sector.
“Potato Week is all about celebrating the potato and encouraging families to become interested in named varieties.
“The focus is on helping consumers shop for potatoes far more intuitively; choosing varieties based on taste, texture and how they perform rather than price or appearance.”
Stressing why potatoes are so important, Fell cited the fact that they are a naturally fat-free source of fibre and vitamin B6, are believed to have more potassium than three bananas, boast a lower environmental impact than rice and pasta, and contribute £4.7 billion to the British economy.
Autumn is a crucial time for consumption, and Potato Week (w/c 6 October) is deliberately timed to coincide with main crop harvesting.
As 2014 growing conditions have been favourable, the Potato Council chair said that there is 'increasing certainty of an ample supply' this season.
Potatoes account for more than 80 per cent of the retail carbohydrates market by volume. The activity during Potato Week has included a blend of magazine, radio and in-store activity, with five retailers participating.
“Encouraging consumption is high on our agenda, we need to help people see potatoes as part of a modern, convenient and international diet, so that it remains our nation’s number one carbohydrate,' Fell added.
'Realising that we need to increase our activity to promote fresh potatoes, we have just submitted a bid for EU funds. If we are successful this will double our resources in this area over the next three years.'
