News On French Fries and Potato Specialties from Europe

KWS SAAT SE and the J.R. Simplot Company have founded a new joint venture company Aardevo B.V., to deliver top performing potato varieties through hybrid breeding.

Customers of McDonald's in Europe might find that their favorite fries are shorter than usual. Blame the weather: smaller potatoes result in shorter fries.

The Norwegian company Zeracryl has developed an efficient solution for reduction of acrylamide in French fries.

In Pulsed Electric Field Treatment of potato, the treatment intensity needs to be monitored to optimize process performance and product yield. So how can that be done?

The North-Western European Potato Growers (NEPG) conclude that the potato production this year in North-Western Europe will be much lower than average and that quality issues will be a main challenge.

The extreme heat and drought is a disaster for the upcoming potato harvest. And for processors too: in Belgium, potato chips manufacturer Roger&Roger (Croky) temporarily halts production of some its flavours to manage the lack of potato supply.

The Potato Processing companies in the United Kingdom have released a statement through the Potato Processors’ Association Ltd (PPA), expressing their concern for the impact of current weather conditions on UK potato processing sector.

The German Association of Fruit, Vegetables and Potato Processing Industry (BOGK) expects that the potato harvest in Germany and Europe will be significantly reduced in quantity, as well as quality compared to the previous year due to the long ongoing drought and heat wave.

McCain, the UK’s number one frozen potato brand, has announced that Nick Vermont will be retiring from the business after a 35-year career at McCain Foods. Howard Snape will replace Nick as regional president, McCain Foods GB and Ireland.

The INTERPOM PRIMEURS, a trade show entirely focused on the potato industry held November 25 - 27 2018 in Kortrijk Xpo (Belgium), has already sold out all stand space.

Ibersnacks merged with the Europe Snacks group, thus consolidating its dominance over the European snack market with 9 operational plants in 3 different countries.

Earlier this month Nomad Foods Limited announced that it had completed its previously announced acquisition of Aunt Bessie’s Limited from William Jackson & Son Limited for a purchase price of approximately €240 million.

Belgapom, the Belgian potato trade and processing industry association, has appointed Marc Van Herreweghe as its new chairman.

Albert Bartlett, leading supplier of fresh potatoes in the United Kingdom, is to launch chilled potato products with major UK retailers and food service customers.

McDonald’s restaurants in the UK and Ireland will complete transition to paper straws in 2019; In Belgium the QSR chain is testing alternatives to plastic straws and trials are planned in the United States, France, Sweden, Norway and Australia later this year.

Nomad Foods Limited announced earlier this week that it has entered into an agreement to acquire Aunt Bessie’s Limited from William Jackson & Son Limited for approximately €240 million.

Exclusively for PotatoPro readers we can now show you a video of the industrial application of a Pulsemaster Conditioner Pulsed Electric Field system at industrial scale, treating the full line load of potatoes (60 tons/hour) for a large French Fry line.

Today, the first Russian large-scale French fries production facility - built in Lipetsk by a Joint Venture of the Russian Belaya Dacha Group and Lamb Weston / Meijer - was officially opened