News on The Potato Supply Chain from United Kingdom

The anaerobic digestion plant at Branston's headquarters in Lincoln will use low value potatoes and peelings to produce enough electricity to cut the firm's reliance on grid electricity by 40%.Work started on the plant last week, project director Vee G...

Good growing conditions have resulted in the production of more potatoes this year than last - with volumes up by some 3.5 per cent to 6.2 million tonnes.   The Potato Council revealed the figure - based on the production reported from 246 crops from ...

Three organisations in the UK (IGD, the NFU and Kent Business School) offer potato growers a free report with information on the attitude of the consumer regarding potatoes. This comprises information such as "Shopper preferences for potatoes thro...

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) is today publishing findings of a qualitative research project commissioned to explore public attitudes to genetic modification (GM). This report is timely and will be considered by the independent steering group that ha...

At first glance, the planned 9% increase in the potato levy over the next three years seems hard to justify.For a start, it is coming in a year in which UK potato prices have been under considerable pressure. The last thing any grower needs is another ...

Potato growers need no reminding that they now spend well in excess of £100 per acre keeping their crops disease and pest free through a hefty spray programme of nematicides, herbicides, fungicides and insecticides.That is why they would be delighted w...

I usually like to keep my blogs short and to the point, but following a critical article about the Agency's salt policy in The Times earlier this week, I felt this needed a more detailed response. As Chief Scientist, my job is to ensure that the Agency...

Harvesting throughout Northwest Europe is virtually finished and markets are entering a new phase of the season. Quality concern and wastage, resulting from high dry matter levels and difficult harvest conditions, are now becoming the main influence ...

Aviko’s Range of Gratins succeed in gaining the Craft Guild of Chefs endorsement! The five gratin varieties, from potato producer Aviko, have just been approved for endorsement by the Craft Guild of Chefs by passing its “Fit for Purpose and Quality As...

Greenvale's new packaging for its Lady Balfour organic potatoes has increased shelf life, decreased wastage and reduced complaints about greening by over 50%.Greenvale AP is the UK's largest supplier of fresh potatoes and Lady Balfour is one of the UK'...

The Potato Council put on a spectacular display in London this morning, cooking up a potato dish, UPSIDE DOWN!In the unique stunt, aimed at getting the younger generation to ‘Love Potatoes’ this autumn, Potato Council took to the London’s South Bank to...

At least 124,000 new cancers in 2008 in Europe may have been caused by excess body weight, according to estimates from a new modelling study. The proportion of cases of new cancers attributable to a body mass index of 25kg/m2 or more were highest among...

Scientists at the Scottish Crop research Institute (SCRI) have helped unlock the mystery behind potato blight - a disease that costs the global industry an estimated £4billion of losses every year. The same disease devastated crops in Ireland 150 year...

In Fife, Scotland, a farm worker died after falling into a potato harvester in Fife. The arms and legs of the 34 year old man became entangled in the machinery on Foodie Farm near Cupar on Sunday morning.He was taken by helicopter to hospital but later...

Desparate Housewives star Marcia Cross has been signed up by potato company Albert Bartlett. Marcia will front the new rooster potato ad campaign which is the biggest yet by the UK’s leading fresh potato supplier. John Hicks, marketing manager for Al...

New international work is under way to help potato growers assess the risk, before planting, of their crops getting powdery scab and black scurf (Rhizoctonia solani).The Potato Council-funded £430,000 three-year study involves SCRI, SAC and the Food an...

William Chase (Founder of Tyrrell’s upscale potato crisps and king of added value) has scooped four Gold awards for it’s’ potato vodka and liqueurs.The Great Taste awards, run by the Guild of Fine Food, has awarded Chase distillery a Gold 1 star award ...

Greenvale AP, the UK's largest supplier of fresh potatoes, is developing a radical potato cleaning system on its Tern Hill, Shropshire site. The system is code-named Project Cascade and Greenvale aims to have it fully operational by the end of the year...