Purple Heart: New Zealand's Purple Potatoes

New Zealand potato breeder Plant and Food Research has added a new attractive purple skinned variety to its range, which may have added health benefits. 

With a vivid purple skin and distinctive speckled purple flesh inside, Purple Heart was one of 16 cultivars bred by Plant and Food which were specially grown together in a plot at the South Island Agricultural Field Days. 

"We wanted to highlight potatoes at the field days because we’ve just come out of the Year of the Potato, and had the World Potato Congress on in Christchurch,’’ said Plant and Food business manager Ivan Lawrie. 

Plant and Food is the only potato breeder in New Zealand.