News On French Fries and Potato Specialties from Northern America

Canadian harvested area for potatoes in 2008/09 could fall to 148,000 hectares, more than 11,000 hectares, or 7% below the year earlier level reflecting a combination of lower planted area and harvest problems due to wet weather in Prince Edward Island...

American Frozen Food Institute (AFFI) Chairman James E. Matthews Jr. of the H.J. Heinz Company today announced Robert L. Garfield has assumed the role of interim president of AFFI following the resignation of Leslie G. Sarasin. Garfield takes over for...

It was an exciting time for two dedicated area producers on Wednesday evening when they were selected in the top spot for 2008 in the McCain Top 10 Growers for Portage la Prairie competition. Anton Wiebe and Sheldon Falconer, from Anton Wiebe Ltd. of...

The U.S. Potato Board recently wrapped a week-long course called "Processed Potatoes 101"for business representatives from more than 14 countries.The gathering, which took place in Pasco, Wash., was the largest the board ever put together. Th...

McCain Foods is axing 25 jobs in New Brunswick as part of a move to outsource accounting functions to India. The head of McCain Foods (Canada) says the outsourcing of the jobs is part of the company's efforts to become more competitive globally. The ...

So here it is, a PotatoPro Newsletter on 'McDonald's World Famous Fries' or MacFries as I will keep calling them in short. Yes, as far as I could figure out they were called MacFries, not McFries, even though Google gives more than twice as much hits on McFries than MacFries.

H.J. Heinz’s low-priced “comfort foods” will help the company weather the turbulent economy, according to Art Winkleblack Heinz’s chief financial officer. Heinz is doing well with its Ore-Ida frozen potatoes, soups, beans, and condiments. Winkleblack ...

A new cooking technology under development at Purdue University could please both dieters looking for lowercalorie meals and food retailers seeking lower costs. It has the potential to produce “fried” foods using vastly less oil, and to cook them at sp...

In a world record breaking attempt, Canadians Cloe Whittaker (22) and Tyson Jerry (24) are taking a 45,000 Km road trip in a van powered by the waste oil from French fries.They will launch their Driven to Sustain adventure on Wednesday October 1 from M...

J.R. Simplot Co. and ConAgra Foods (Lamb Weston) have both agreed to hefty price increases for 2009 crop spuds, representatives for Potato Growers of Washington and the Southern Idaho Potato Cooperative said.For growers, the new contracts mean an overa...

Recently, the Moms' Quality Correspondents concluded their second year of unprecedented access to the McDonald's® system of owner/operators, executives and Supply Chain with Lamb Weston, one of McDonald's Potato Suppliers for McDonald’s Hash Browns and...

ConAgra Foods, Inc., (NYSE: CAG) one of North America's leading packaged food companies, today reported results for the fiscal 2009 first quarter ended Aug. 24, 2008. Diluted EPS from continuing operations was $0.23, including net $0.04 per diluted sha...

When Hannah Odom ordered curly fries with her meal at an Arby's restaurant in Hendersonville, South Carolina, she discovered what is likely world's longest french fry: A curly french fry of almost two feet. She resisted temptations to eat it or to sel...

Steam n' Mash from Ore-Ida makes homemade mashed potatoes easy:Thanks to a new innovation from the Ore-Ida brand, known as Steam n' Mash potatoes, one of America’s favorite comfort foods is now easy enough to make every day in just 15 minutes or less!

Big french fry companies are undercutting P.E.I. potato prices by flooding the open market with cheap potatoes, says an sland potato farmer and a potato marketer.Jim Read, of J.B. Read Marketing Inc., and Danny Henricken, whose family has been growing ...

On a sunny afternoon in Florenceville-Bristol, McCain Foods officially opened its $65-million potato processing plant on Thursday, Sept. 4.The plant was announced in 2006 and began construction in the spring of 2007. It replaces the first factory ever ...

McCain Foods USA, Inc., the U.S. division of McCain Foods Limited, the world's largest producer of French fries and potato products, today announced the launch of a national integrated marketing campaign via Schafer | Condon | Carter (SCC). The fun and...

H.J. Heinz Co. said first-quarter profit rose 12 percent and forecast full-year earnings that exceeded its earlier projection on sales of Ore-Ida french fries in the U.S. and dumplings in China.