Along with many others within the produce and wider food industry, I have followed the progress of the Veg Power campaign from its concept 18 months ago with great interest. Personally, and on behalf of our business Greenvale AP, we are fully supportive of the ambition of the campaign to inspire children to eat more veg and to support parents trying to get more veg into their children’s diets.
To see the food industry, government departments, TV and media companies, ambassadors, retailers, charities and many more organisations come together and channel their efforts into making this a high-profile and impactful campaign is inspiring to see.
As a major player in the fresh potato market, Greenvale supplies many of the UK’s supermarkets along with wholesale customers and processing companies. We market ourselves as the “Natural Choice for Fresh Potatoes” and as a leading player in the industry we believe that we have a real responsibility to help shape the way in which our industry operates and promote fresh potatoes to the UK shopper, both now and for future generations.
Fresh potatoes are the biggest sector within the produce industry, delivering value sales of £1.1 billion in 2018 with a household penetration of 95.6 per cent. We work closely with our industry body AHDB Potatoes, our growers and customers to promote the health benefits of fresh potatoes to end shoppers, not least the fact that they are nutritious, filling, fat free, good value for money and on the whole British grown.
Because of our company values and our commitment to shoppers we have been disappointed not to be able to make a pledge to support the great work which the Food Foundation is delivering through the Veg Power campaign. Unfortunately, fresh potatoes have been classified as a starchy carbohydrate rather than a vegetable by the government’s Eat Well Guide, and as such have been excluded from any involvement. As the biggest representative within produce, it is frustrating to watch the success and not be able to associate potatoes in any way.
While we appreciate that a fried potato chip, for example, is not a suitable association for the campaign, a portion of freshly boiled new potatoes or a crispy jacket potato are perfect options for mums wanting to provide a healthy balanced part of a healthy meal. Potatoes are the ultimate in versatility and a vegetable that we know children enjoy.
We hope that in the future the restrictions around potatoes and our involvement with the campaign may be reviewed. We and others within our industry would gladly engage further with the Food Foundation and others to understand what we could do to make this happen.
In the meantime, on behalf of Greenvale we continue to fully support the great work being delivered.
