News On French Fries and Potato Specialties from the United States

June 09, 2008

Weak traffic, more side choices cut into US French-fry sales

Americans have been in love with French fries since fast food restaurants first made them popular in the 1950s. But while many nutrition-minded observers have called into question the healthfulness of French fries over the years, little has dulled con...

June 05, 2008

Aviko impressed by benefits of Ishida multihead weighers

High speeds, increased throughput, low giveaway and gentle product handling, all of which have led to fast payback, are among the reasons why Aviko, Europe’s second largest potato processor, uses Ishida multihead weighing equipment to help meet its pr...

June 02, 2008

Boise McDonald's gives out free fries to honor JR Simplot

To honor the man responsible for bringing the frozen French fry to the masses - McDonald's locations in Ada and Canyon Counties will give people a special free treat today. From 11 a.m. until 1 p.m., customers can get a free order of fries in honor of...

May 30, 2008

Resolution reached in McDonald's french fry cases

Newschannel Five has learned eight Florida lawsuits filed against McDonald's have been resolved. The lawsuits all alleged McDonald's French Fries made the individuals sick and complicated pre-existing medical problems or diseases. The cases all revol...

May 29, 2008

Muere J.R. Simplot, 'rey de la papa frita' y un pionero de EEUU

J.R. Simplot, el magnate que fundó el negocio agrícola que lleva su nombre y que ayudó a convertir a las papas fritas en un clásico de la dieta estadounidense, murió el domingo a los 99 años, informó un funcionario judicial. Después de ser el pionero...

May 29, 2008

Chilled potato options from Aviko

Unique to Aviko, the Steamfresh range is a revolutionary new product that uses cutting edge processing technology to steam rather than boil the potatoes. They are then atmospherically packaged, locking in taste, nutrition and vitamins B1, B6, B12 and C...

May 27, 2008

Simplot family to keep firm unchanged

After the death of its founder, the J.R. Simplot Co. will continue as a family owned agricultural company with no anticipated changes, said Scott Simplot. "It would be a surprise to me if we change anything,"said Simplot, the company chairman...

May 26, 2008

J.R. Simplot, agribusiness giant, dies in Idaho

J.R. Simplot left home in 1923 at age 14 with four gold coins given to him by his mother. He ended his life as the spud king of America and one of the nation's richest men. The Idaho farmer, who dominated the state's business and political landscape ...

May 25, 2008

Profile of J.R. Simplot, inventor of the frozen french fry.

This profile of J.R. Simplot, inventor of the frozen french fry, was previously published in 1996. J.R Simplot died Sunday, May 25, 2008, at his home in Boise at the age of 99.

May 16, 2008

Belts tighten at NRA food show;McCain Foods cancels participation.

It's a sign of the times in the volatile food industry: Two big companies are pulling back on their offerings at the giant restaurant trade show coming to Chicago this weekend, while another is abandoning it altogether.Among them are two of the nation...

May 15, 2008

Senator and Republican presidential candidate John McCain to address NRA Show attendees

Senator and Republican presidential candidate John McCain will address restaurant and foodservice professionals attending the 89th annual National Restaurant Association Restaurant, Hotel-Motel Show, May 17-20, 2008, at McCormick Place in Chicago.

May 15, 2008

New Frymaster Protector fryers win Kitchen Innovations award at NRA 2008

A new fryer from global industry leader Frymaster, LLC offers the next generation in ultra-high performance commercial frying, combining oil savings and energy conservation with labor-saving technological features. Frymaster’s new Protector electric ...

May 08, 2008

Dr Mai Tran completes PhD research on fat content of french fries

Being an ex-refugee didn’t stop Dr Mai Tran from getting her Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in chemical and material engineering. For her PhD thesis, Mrs Tran chose the humble spud;the subject of her main experiment was to reduce the oil content in potato...

April 23, 2008

Ohio: We dig our potatoes: A whole lot of slicing and frying going on

The next time you open a bag of potato chips, before you start crunching and munching, consider that you are holding a piece of Ohio's culinary and economic history in the palm of your hand. We didn't invent the potato chip here, but we embraced it wi...

March 31, 2008

Bart Connors Selected To Lead 2008-2009 United States Potato Board

Bart Connors of Pasco, WA, was elected Chairman of the United States Potato Board (USPB) on March 14 at the organization’s Annual Meeting in Denver, CO. Connors is the general manager of Skone & Connors Produce.

March 27, 2008

Conagra Foods Reports Strong EPS Growth and Improved Sales for Consumer Foods

ConAgra Foods, Inc., (NYSE: CAG) one of North America's leading packaged food companies, today reported results for the fiscal 2008 third quarter ended Feb. 24, 2008. Current-quarter diluted EPS from continuing operations was $0.63;items impacting com...

March 26, 2008

Key Technology Announces Retirement of Gordon Wicher, Sr. Vice President Global Operations

Key Technology, Inc. (NASDAQ: KTEC) announced today that Gordon Wicher, Sr. Vice President of Global Operations, will retire from the Company effective May 30, 2008. "Gordon has served Key Technology with energy, wisdom, integrity, and vision f...

March 17, 2008

March US Potato Stocks Up 8 Percent from Last Year

The 13 major potato states held 172 million cwt. of potatoes in storage March 1, up 8 percent from last year and 10 percent above 2006, according to USDA's National Agricultural Statistics Service. Potatoes in storage accounted for 43 percent of the 2...