News on Food Trends from Northern America

Boulder Canyon™ Authentic Foods advances its line of kettle-cooked potato chips cooked in unique oils with the introduction of Rice Bran Oil Kettle Cooked Potato Chips

Restaurant Chain CaliBurger - a 21st-century revival of the classic California burger joint - is introducing robotics in its kitchens starting early 2018: an AI driven robot named 'Flippy', primarily tasked with flipping burgers.

The 2017 Potato Industry Leadership Institute (PILI) provided training to 22 US potato growers and industry representatives in leadership development, public policy, marketing, team building and public communication.

Richards Pavelski and Donald Hamerski entered the Wisconsin Potato & Vegetable Growers Association (WPVGA) Hall of Fame Hall. The WPVGA Hall of Fame honors lifetime achievement in the development of Wisconsin’s potato industry.

Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) annually releases 10-15 potato selections. To show these to the Canadian industry, AAFC will hold a Potato Release Open House on February 15, 2017, simultaneously in Fredericton, NB; Guelph, ON; and Lethbridge, AB.

In the search for a third rotation crop for potatoes, trials at the Aroostook Research Farm in Presque Isle are showing some promise for field peas, a crop that once had a successful run in the region until the 1970s.

Schmieding Produce Launches New 100 Calorie - Skinny Potato: Potatoes are sorted in such a way, that each potato has roughly a calorie content of 100 Calories

Earlier this week, Bob Evans Farms, Inc. (NASDAQ: BOBE) announced two transformational transactions, turning the company from predominantly a restaurant chain into a food manufacturer.

Pineland Farms Potato Company, Inc. (PFPC), located in Mars Hill, Maine confirmed the signing of a Stock Purchase Agreement with Bob Evans Foods (BEF)

The Pennsylvanian snack manufacturer Dieffenbach's Potato Chips Inc. has launched a new potato chip brand named 'Uglies'. The chips are produced from potatoes that farmers would likely be throwing away due to minor imperfections.

As the incoming Trump administration talks about piling on new tariffs to discourage imports and protect American jobs, the Canadian government quietly moved in the opposite direction over the holidays: eliminating tariffs.

Following an online potato recipe contest ('Fully-Loaded Idaho Potato Cook-off'), Kenmore awarded Crystal Schlueter’s unique and easy-to-make recipe for Mashed-Up Kimchi Reuben Tater Bombs with Sweet Onion & Gochujang Aioli the grand prize.

Donald Trump has chosen ex-Georgia-governor Sonny Perdue as Secretary of Agriculture.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) today announced the availability of $1.85 million in funding for regional potato breeding research to support the development of superior-performing varieties that can be brought to market as soon as possible.

Boyd Foster of Vista Valley Ag in Ririe, Idaho, received the prestigious 2016 Environmental Stewardship Award during the National Potato Council’s (NPC) 2017 Annual Meeting

Potato Expo 2017, held January 4-6 in the city of San Francisco, featured one of the highest number of attendees and exhibitors, the second annual Spud Nation Throwdown Chef Cook-Off, and optimism over the future of the potato industry.

At the National Potato Council’s (NPC) 2017 Annual Meeting January 6-7 in San Francisco, Dwayne Weyers of Aspen Produce, LLC, in Center, Colorado, was elected to serve as NPC’s 2017 President and to lead the council’s Executive Committee.

Rodney Dingwell of Morell was elected as the new Chairman of the Prince Edward Island Potato Board.