Potato News from United Kingdom

Kent Crisps announces that Waitrose is to stock all four flavours of premium, hand-cooked Kent Crisps at selected Kent stores from October. This includes the new Canterbury store due to open on October 6 when shoppers will be able to sample Kent Crisp...

The UK government has proposed dramatic increases in costs for its plant health services. The revised costs, proposed in a consultation by the Food and Environment Research Agency (FERA), would increase fees by more than 400% for some services. For ex...

United Biscuits UK, a leading manufacturer of biscuits, snacks and cakes, is re-launching its Skips and Nik Naks brands. Both ranges will feature distinctive new packaging and add new flavours to their ranges to boost sales for retailers. Available to...

CPM Partnership, owner of the SpudsToGo ® brand, today announced that it is offering existing baked/jacket potato shops what equates to a 12-month 'test-drive' of its globally recognised brand. Established in 2005, SpudsToGo, a registered trademark in...

New research, led by psychologists at the University of Bristol, has found that children who are familiar with a snack food will expect it to be more filling. This finding, published (online ahead of print) in the American Journal of Clinical Nutriti...

With dry weather exacerbating the risk of bruising potatoes at harvest, Potato Council has called on growers to take a proactive stance and make quality assessments at all stages of harvesting, from lifting to store loading.

A seven-day celebration of the humble spud has been held to recognise one of the world’s most versatile ingredients that has had a presence on our dinner plates for more than 450 years. Hosted by the Potato Council, the first ever Potato Week builds o...

UK food and non-alcoholic drink exports grew to £5.8bn in the first half of 2011 – a rise of over 13% on the same period in 2010, as revealed by figures released by the Food and Drink Federation (FDF). Exports to the EU increased by 12.6% to £4.4bn wi...

Aunt Bessie’s has announced a new variety to its market leading Frozen Potato range – Special Roast Potatoes basted in duck fat. The range has been developed in response to consumer demand for premium roast potatoes, following a number of chefs bastin...

Record numbers are expected at the potato industry’s event of the year, BP2011, which will be held at Harrogate in November. Entry will be free of charge and amateur growers can attend, although the event is not designed for them. Students thinking o...

Wyma, designer and manufacturer of post-harvest vegetable handling equipment, is pleased to announce the appointment of Everett Bros Engineering Ltd as the sole agent for its full range of products in the United Kingdom. Wyma and Everett Bros have a l...

Soil stuck on leeks and potatoes may have been the source of an E. coli outbreak in the UK earlier this year, according to the Health Protection Agency (HPA).

A Herbert Engineering Student, Daniel Campling, is shortlisted for Young Designer of the Year at British Engineering Excellence Awards (BEEA). Daniel Campling - a Harper Adams Graduate - recently completed a nine-month placement at Herbert Engineering...

A Scottish potato producer that supplies Birds Eye, McCain and Tesco has unearthed a 10 per cent rise in turnover in its maiden results as a listed company. Revenues at Duns-based Produce Investments grew to £171.4 million in the year to 25 June, boos...

PepsiCo UK has now achieved Zero Waste to Landfill status at 11 of its major manufacturing sites, including Walkers in Leicester and Quaker Oats in Cupar. In 2008, PepsiCo UK revealed a number of commitments to grow sustainably and minimise its impact...

Top potato researchers from Britain and The Netherlands have joined the speaker panel at the World Potato Congress (WPC 2012) due to take place in Edinburgh, Scotland, May 27-30. Exploiting the potato genome and how new-found knowledge will ultimatel...

Irrigate with the right amount of water, at the right time, in the right place, growers were urged by Dr Jerry Knox at the well-attended Potato Council East of England day (September 1, Tuddenham, Bury St Edmunds). Improved water efficiency may not ne...

To ensure efficient, robust and reliable box tipping, Tong Peal, the UK’s leading designer and manufacturer of handling and sorting equipment for the vegetable handling industry, has introduced a new side eject box tipper.