Potato News from Northern America

2016 is the year of the Canadian invasion. Americans have been clamoring over all things Canadian: hockey, the 2016 NBA All-Star game, poutine, and, most recently, Ruffles All Dressed potato chips.

Boulder Canyon Authentic Foods introduces a new better-for-you line of ready-to-eat popcorn: Real Thin™ Pop.

U.S. children are not consuming enough vegetables, resulting in an inadequate intake of key nutrients, including potassium and dietary fiber, which are important for growth, development and overall health.

Workers on strike at the Covered Bridge Potato Chips company in Hartland are still on the picket line, five weeks after the strike began over better pay and seniority issues.

Idaho® potatoes are a significant source of potassium - an essential nutrient that many Americans do not get enough of on a daily basis.

February is Potato Lovers Month in Canada, and Prince Edward Island potato growers are celebrating by offering consumers a chance to win a potato-packed trip to Prince Edward Island!

Ron Offutt, founder and Chairman Emeritus of the R. D. Offutt Company, the United States’ largest producer of potatoes, spoke about his business success on the final day of Manitoba Potato Production Days in Brandon on January 28.

Okray Family Farms in Plover, Wisconsin, were named the recipients of the prestigious 2015 Environmental Stewardship Award during the National Potato Council’s (NPC) 2016 Annual Meeting, held January 14 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Market research company IRI highlights the foods that see a sales lift before the Superbowl. Salty snacks constitute the leading category by units.

Casual dining chain Red Robin Gourmet Burger and Brews introduces taste bud-tingling Voodoo Fries that will leave guests spellbound!

Cargill Texturizing Solutions is offering manufacturers a successful replacement for monoglycerides, which are sometimes made from PHO

In the United States, the fresh potato category finished 2015 with sales volume off -2.2% with the largest-selling type down -3.2%. But red potatoes, the second-largest seller, bucked the trend by finishing the year slightly ahead.

As the demand for spicy snacks grows, America's favorite ready-to-eat popcorn brand has answered the call with the launch of Smartfood Spicy Jalapeño Ranch Popcorn.

ConAgra Foods, Inc. (NYSE:CAG) announced today the completion of the sale of its private label operations to TreeHouse Foods for proceeds of $2.7 billion in cash, excluding transaction-related expenses and subject to post-closing adjustments.

A meeting date of February 26, 2016 is set for the vote of the stockholders of Diamond and Snyder's-Lance to vote on approving the recently announced acquisition of Diamond Foods by Snyder's-Lance, Inc.
Snyder's-Lance also announced estimated preliminary unaudited net sales for the full year of $1.66 billion

Idaho State University researchers have found high-tech cameras mounted on drones flying 60 meters above potato fields can effectively detect individual diseased and stressed plants.

The United States Potato Board (USPB) unveiled its first Spud Nation™ Food Truck at POTATO EXPO 2016, in Las Vegas, Nevada. This is an entirely new, proactive and aggressive demand-building approach for potatoes.

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.