In the United Kingdom, Members of Parliament (MPs) were treated to a day of potatoes, as Potato Council was sponsored to attend Parliament during Potato Week (7-13 October).
The visit to Westminster, supported by John Stevenson MP, successfully raised awareness of the work of the potato industry in providing healthy and sustainable food to the nation, as well as its contribution to the economy. Joined by grower and Potato Ambassador for the North West, Robin Cropper, MPs were given information about the health, economic and environmental benefits of potatoes, plus hints and tips on achieving the best cooking results, to share across their constituencies.
Potato Council head of marketing and corporate affairs, Caroline Evans, said: “We were delighted to be able to meet with so many parliamentary members at once to discuss just how important the potato – and the sector – is. Potato Council acts as a knowledge house for Government and Potato Week was an ideal opportunity to raise the profile of the industry and our evidence base on health and sustainability. It was a very good turnout, with both urban and rural constituencies represented.”
Robin Cropper and John Stevenson MP
“I received an enthusiastic response from everyone, which demonstrates the importance of the industry taking the message out there, as well as our representatives at Potato Council.”
Potato Week forms part of Potato Council’s autumn campaign of promotional activity to coincide with main crop harvesting. The Week has been instrumental in raising awareness for named varieties of potatoes, to increase consistent cooking and eating results for consumers and encourage them to ‘trade up’, which will deliver enhanced value to the category.
