News on Food Trends from Northern America

At the National Potato Council’s (NPC) 2016 Annual Meeting, held January 14-15 in Las Vegas, Nevada, Jim Tiede from James Tiede Farms of American Falls, Idaho, was elected to serve as NPC’s president for 2016 and to lead the council’s Executive Committee.

NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) announced that according their independent analyses, Earth's surface temperatures in 2015 were the warmest since modern record keeping began in 1880.

Neil Gudmestad, a potato pathologist with North Dakota State University, has been awarded the 2015 Potato Man for All Seasons award by produce magazine The Packer.

The softening Canadian dollar has in many cases driven up the cost of imported produce and this is being reflected in grocery store prices. However, one staple vegetable that has not experienced the same jump in prices is Prince Edward Island Potatoes.

Local and Federal Government (Manitoba, Canada) have announced an investment of nearly $380,000 for the McCain Foods potato processing plant in Carberry to increase efficiency, reduce waste and support the sustainable growth of Manitoba’s potato industry. The governments’ investment represents half of the total equipment cost.

The Prince Edward Island Potato Board has a new executive as a result of its December 16th Board of Directors meeting.

Resumen y enlace al texto completo del artículo escrito por J. W. Bentley y publicado (inglés) en el último número de la Revista Latinoamericana de la Papa.

For the first time, Potato Expo 2016, the largest conference and trade show for the potato industry in North America, will host a food truck chef competition highlighting the broad appeal of potatoes and mobile food trucks.

Stanley Trout joins the Idaho Potato Commission (IPC) foodservice marketing team as Promotions Director for the Southeast, based in Nashville, TN.

Twenty potato growers from all over the Wisconsin converged on Madison last week for their annual “grill the professors” ritual.

Continuing in its journey toward zero waste, and in recognition of last week’s America Recycles Day, ConAgra Foods announced its annual Zero Waste Champion award winners.

Conagra Foods announces plans to separate into two independent public companies, Conagra Brands ('Diverse portfolio of Leading Brands') and Lamb Weston ('Leading Foodservice Supplier of Frozen Potatoes')

The Prince Edward Island Potato Board is very disappointed by the decision of the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries to completely discontinue disinfection services effective December 31st, 2015.

Mcdonald's is testing sweet potato fries in a number of its restaurants in Texas

'Do you want fries with that?' is the question that prompts us to think about potatoes. But there is so much more to potatoes as visitors to The Royal Agricultural Winter Fair (RAWF) are learning.

The US Agency for International Development has awarded Michigan State University (MSU) a $5.8 million cooperative agreement to improve potato production in Bangladesh and Indonesia. Additional partners include the University of Minnesota and J.R. Simplot as well as in-country partners in both Bangladesh and Indonesia.

During the Company's investor meeting today, McDonald's Corporation President and Chief Executive Officer Steve Easterbrook and members of senior management provided an update on the Company's Turnaround Plan

Calyxt, Inc., a Minnesota-based company focusing on developing healthier food products, has announced that it has completed the first field trials of its cold storable potato.