Innovations needed to boost spud sales, says new chief of US Potato Board

New varieties and packaging styles worked for apples, tomatoes and berries. The same kind of innovations could give spuds a boost at retail, too, according to the new head of the U.S. Potato Board. Shoppers are demanding more choice, and potato growers and shippers are starting to respond, said Bart Connors of Pasco, Wash. "We can't do things the way we did them 15 years ago,"said Connors, who was recently elected chairman of the USPB at the board's annual meeting in Denver. Connors began a one-year term in March. He succeeds Larry Alsum of Wisconsin as the leader of the national group charged with increasing demand for U.S. potatoes.