Potato News from United Kingdom

September 15, 2014

KP Snacks factories in Consett and Corby could close

Up to 186 jobs are under threat after KP Snacks said it had plans to close two of its factories in a move to streamline its business.

September 14, 2014

Sales of Comber potatoes double in Tesco outlets

Tesco Northern Ireland’s commercial manager Cliff Kells has confirmed that sales of ‘Comber’ potatoes more than doubled, year-on-year, in local Tesco outlets during the months of July and August.

September 07, 2014

Food Standards Agency publishes acrylamide and furan survey results of Foods in the United Kingdom

The FSA (Food Standards Agency) has published the results from its latest study looking at levels of the process contaminants acrylamide and furan in a wide range of UK retail foods.

August 27, 2014

Dry your potatoes with a Sponge Dryer from Herbert Engineering

Sponge and felt dryers from Herbert Engineering, the leaders in root crop handling systems, have been integrated into freshpack plants in Britain and Europe, with excellent results both in terms of removing surface moisture and minimising maintenance

August 19, 2014

Seed potato exports from GB outstrip previous levels once more

As Potato Council and the GB seed potato sector prepare for next months’ Potato Europe event in Germany, recent export statistics confirm that GB seed potatoes continue to be in demand around the world, with the 2013/14 figures revealing a new seed exports record from Britain.

August 19, 2014

A Royal Visit for Greenvale

The UK’s largest grower and supplier of potatoes, with a site at Burrelton, attended Scotland’s second largest agricultural show for the first time in order to promote its GreenVale potato brand. The company not only had an exhibition stand but were sponsoring the cookery demonstration given by Lady Clare MacDonald and supplied her with GreenVale potatoes to use in her recipes

August 19, 2014

Lancashire potato grower opens his farm gates to share best practice

Aughton potato grower Andrew Webster’s desire to try the science in Potato Council-funded trials to increase productivity at his own farm is to be opened up to other growers, Thursday 11 September.

August 06, 2014

New screen grading technology makes exchanging screens as easy as touching a button

Tong Peal has taken screen grading technology to the next level with the launch of a new option on all models of its market leading EasyGrade screen grading modules, designed to increase efficiency and minimise downtime for farms and pack houses.

August 03, 2014

Henry Alston of Billockby Farms declared champion potato grower McCain Foods (GB)

Henry Alston, a Norfolk potato farmer has been declared champion grower in the south of England in annual awards staged by McCain Foods (GB).

July 31, 2014

Rescue deal saves potato supplier Holme Farm Produce

Administrators at O'Hara & Co have managed to tie up a pre-pack deal for Holme Farm Produce safeguarding jobs and the future of the business.

July 30, 2014

New international collaboration helps protect potatoes against nematodes

Experts from the UK and India are working together to identify and develop novel environmentally-sustainable strategies to control plant pests, known as plant-parasitic nematodes to ensure global food production and security.

July 28, 2014

Snack food packing solutions with high flexibility and fast payback

Ishida Europe has developed a range of entry-level weigher/bagmaker combination units which offer an economic, medium speed solution for food manufacturers, thus delivering a fast payback on a reduced investment cost while ensuring consistent weights.

July 24, 2014

Supporting the Scottish Potato Industry

Potato Council has been working hard to raise the profile of potatoes amongst Members of the Scottish Parliament (MSPs), promoting their health and sustainability credentials and creating awareness of the significant contribution they make to the Scottish economy.

July 20, 2014

McCain Foods GB is looking for a new advertising agency

McCain Foods GB is looking for a new agency for its UK advertising account, as part of a £20 million review.

July 18, 2014

Scottish Schools Rooting for Home Grown Foods

Greenvale, the UK’s leading potato supplier, has been helping schools around Perth and Kinross to dig deep in a bid to educate them about the origins of the food they eat.

July 15, 2014

Future proofing Cheshire potatoes

Cheshire potato growers gathered at Aston Grange Farm near Runcorn, at the end of June 2014, to discuss the opportunities for the local crop at Potato Council’s Cheshire Potato event.

Conventionally-grown potatoes on the left of the picture and organically grown potatoes on the right.

July 15, 2014

International Study suggests Organic plants produce more antioxidants

An international team of experts led by Newcastle University has shown that organic crops are up to 60% higher in a number of key antioxidants than conventionally-grown ones.

July 14, 2014

Fabcon Batch Fryer saves on Energy

Fabcon HCFS 220 Batch Fryer produces up to 220 kgs of finished product per hour using the same or less energy than competitive equipment producing 120 kgs, according to the company.