News On French Fries and Potato Specialties from Oceania

Ballarat district potato growers have been offered a 24 per cent increase to supply potatoes to McCain Foods this year. Growers received a letter last week from the Ballarat food processor stating the increase.It is believed the amount was agreed to ac...

Casual workers at McCain Foods Wendouree plant (Ballarat) will need to check with the company daily regarding shifts through to March, according to a union organiser. The AMWU's Angela McCarthy, who has responsibility for workers at the Ballarat food c...

Delicious golden-brown chips (french fries) with only a spoonful of oil - sounds too good to be true.The ActiFry cooks with hot air and minimal oil - a paddle in the centre of the cooking pan evenly distributes the oil by stirring food as it cooks. We ...

Ballarat district potato growers have rejected a price offer from McCain Foods to buy this season's crop.While McCain buys most of the region's potatoes, escalating fertiliser and fuel costs mean growers want to see an increase per tonne in price to re...

Chip shops across the country are being urged to get in quick to be crowned the nations best chippie, with registrations for the ‘That’s Life! Best Chip Shop Competition 2008’ due to close on 31 July. Chairperson of the Chip Group, Glenda Gourley, sa...

The potato processor, Simplot Australia, and farmers have been negotiating prices for four months and have agreed to a 35 per cent price rise for the coming crop. Simplot's managing director, Terry O'Brien, says both sides have ended up in a good pla...

Potato chip maker Mr Chips has received a full takeover offer from Simplot Australia. The offer, conditional on a satisfactory report by Grant Samuel &Associates, was for $2.643 per Mr Chips share, and an entitlement to retain a cash dividend of ...

McCain Foods has confirmed a cleaning cloth was found in a bag of frozen chips in New Zealand earlier this month. A supermarket checkout operator made the discovery after the package felt unusual. The contamination was reported to McCain Foods and has...

Simplot spud growers say they could be forced to opt out of growing the crop after price negotiations on new contracts hit a stalemate this week. The farmers are seeking a record 33 per cent price rise due to skyrocketing fuel and fertiliser costs tha...

Braddon MHA Bryan Green says a new state-of-the-art storage facility on the North-West Coast builds on the region’s reputation as Australia’s premier potato-growing area.Mr Green today officially opened the $2 million development undertaken by long tim...

The takeover of potato products maker Mr Chips is inching towards certainty after more institutional shareholders agreed to accept Simplot Australia's impending takeover offer. Agreements with Balle Bros and Jon Davison gives food manufacturer Simplo...

Shares in potato chip maker Mr Chips soared 20 percent today as the company upgraded its end of year profit forecast. Mr Chips said it was expecting to make a net profit of around $5m for the year to March, up 80 percent on the previous year.

McCain Foods will close its Timaru vegetable plant, affecting 30 jobs. The company announced this morning it will close its small vegetable plant in early November, which is adjacent to the larger French fry facility. McCain Foods employs 240 staff a...

The NZX looks set to have another bite taken out of it as potato products maker Mr Chips faces the prospect of a takeover. Food manufacturer Simplot Australia intends to delist Mr Chips if its takeover offer is successful. Majority shareholder Sincla...

Mr Chips, a New Zealand maker of french fries and processed vegetables, advised shareholders not to sell their shares because Simplot Australia Pty plans to make an offer for the company. The offer will be at a substantial premium to the last sale pri...

Thrilled by the potential the free trade agreement with China brings, potato chip-maker Steven Wong of Fresher Foods is spending $2.8 million on new machinery to double his factory's production. "The free trade agreement opens up an almost unlim...

New research has found some potatoes make healthier fries than others because they absorb less fat. Takeaway shops are now being encouraged to follow new healthy cooking guidelines, but it doesn't stop there. Using a different potato could reduce f...

The Chip Group has achieved a world first with the launch of a set of industry standards aimed at helping independent chip shop operators to make takeaway chips (French fries) healthier. Details of ‘The New Zealand Standards for Deep Fried Chips in In...