News on Food Trends from the Americas

As the annual potato harvest begins, Wisconsin farmers continue to check their fields for late blight, the ferocious plant disease that caused the 1848 Irish potato famine and fueled massive emigration from Ireland.

The United States Potato Board (USPB) would like to invite all interested US growers to attend an exciting international information session to be held in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

The Idaho Potato Commission (IPC) is pleased to announce that Travis Blacker has accepted the position of Industry Relations Director. Blacker will work out of the IPC’s Eastern Idaho office and will focus on building and developing relationships betwe...

The International Potato Center (CIP) is seeking a dynamic and resourceful research professional to support the implementation of the value chain strategy across Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), and to contribute to the CGIAR Research Programs (CRP) on pro-poor analysis and value chain development.

The J.R. Simplot Company has acquired Crop Service Center, Inc., an agricultural retail business based in Atwood, Kansas. The purchase comes shortly after Simplot acquired Dorman Brothers, a multi-outlet agricultural supply company headquartered in Bu...

The U.S. Potato Board has agreed to quadruple its annual contribution to a year-old organization charged with defending the french fry. Effective this crop year, USPB will increase its investment in the Alliance for Potato Research and Education (APRE...

The Michigan Potato Industry Commission (MPIC) appointed Michael Wenkel as its new executive director, effective Aug. 31. He succeeds Ben Kudwa, who has held the position since 1986 and is transitioning into retirement. Wenkel comes to MPIC from Michi...

A Liberal MLA in Canada's Alberta province who called for a boycott of Alberta potatoes over concerns that child labour remains unregulated in the province says he has no desire to damage the livelihoods of growers.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal &Plant Health Inspection Service is working to provide data to officials in South Korea that it hopes will result in a reversal of a decision to ban potato exports from Oregon, Washington and Idaho.

The Packaging Machinery Manufacturers Association (PMMI) has released this month a report “Bakery and Snacks — Market Assessment 2012.” The report - available here for PMMI members - details the effects of changing retailer demands, eating habits, dem...

The United States Potato Board (USPB) is pleased to announce the promotion of Alexandra Imhof to the position of USPB Industry Communications &Policy Manager, effective July 1, 2012. She has been with the USPB since August 2003, when she was hired ...

Dorman Brothers, an agricultural supply company with locations in Goodland, Kansas, and in Colorado at Burlington and Cheyenne Wells, will join Simplot’s AgriBusiness Group as part of the Simplot Grower Solutions network. “Our goal at Simplot Grower S...

El beneficiario fue la empresa Plantar de Colombia, dedicada a la producción de semilla limpia y certificada del tubérculo. “Nos lo dieron para tres procesos: en la producción de minitubérculos en ambiente controlado de invernadero, en la multiplicació...

An Alberta politician, the Liberal MLA David Swann, called on snack-food giant Frito Lay, a subsidiary of PepsiCo., to boycott Alberta potatoes because child labour remains unregulated on provincial farms. The New Democrats later joined the Alberta Fe...

Potandon Produce announced that beginning in July, Green Giant® Fresh Klondike Rose Potatoes is participating in the Box Tops for Education program.

McDonald's is touting its "under 400 calories"items, including the venerable Filet-O-Fish sandwich. Burger King has just added smoothies and salads to its menu. Wendy's is pitching a new mobile app that lets customers personalize meals based ...

The New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets today alerted consumers that Optima Distributors LTD, located at 66-15 Traffic Ave. in Ridgewood, NY, is recalling Del Campo brand Dried Potato due to the presence of undeclared sulfites. The re...

Americans are throwing away 40 percent of food in the U.S., the equivalent of $165 billion in uneaten food each year, according to a new analysis by the Natural Resources Defense Council. In a time of drought and skyrocketing food prices, NRDC outline...