Last Friday the Pommonde® taste concept was rewarded second place at the Fruit Logistica Innovation Award in Berlin. The Fruit Logistica is the leading international meeting place of the fresh produce trade. Last week more than 2,000 companies from across the entire fresh produce value chain showed their products. For seed company HZPC, packer Nedato and supermarket Albert Heijn, this reward proves that consistency in taste is a major step towards a better connection between the demands and wishes of the consumer and the supply of potatoes.
The growth of Pommonde® potatoes requires professional skills. Consistency in taste is of crucial interest. In The Netherlands Pommonde® potatoes are grown by strictly selected growers who are associates of potato organisation Nedato. During the growing season the product is  tested by taking samples on taste qualities and texture characteristics. Also immediately after harvest as well as during storage, testing takes place in order to secure that only the product with the right quality will end up in the supermarket.
Only those varieties, that comply with the unique combination of taste qualities will be used for the growth of Pommonde® potatoes. In combination with consistence (similar taste guarantee) and continuity (year round available) these varieties form the basis of this concept's success. Since November 2008 the Pommonde®  potatoes are exclusively sold at the supermarkets of Albert Heijn in The Netherlands.
More information is available on our website www.hzpc.com (including the Pommonde® brochure) or you may contact Mr. J.H. Hoogenboom of HZPC Holland B.V. – telephone number + 31 513 48 98 88.

The Agricultural Ministry of China and the International Potato Center (CIP) last week signed an agreement to launch the new CIP-China Center for Asia and the Pacific (CCCAP) in Beijing. The center, located at the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, hopes to attract international and local scientists and researchers to its projects, aimed at developing potatoes as a solution to issues such as food shortages and poverty, according to the CIP's international website. The center has yet to start its own research projects but plans initially to carry on the work conducted at sister centers in Indonesia, Nepal, North Korea and Vietnam, amongst others, according to Doctor Xie Kaiyun, liaison scientist for the CCCAP.

SEVENTY per cent of potato crops suffered extensive damage in the Famagusta district, farmers complained yesterday. AKEL deputy Yiannakis Gabriel told reporters the damage caused to crops due to the past three nights’ freezing temperatures had brought about irreversible damage. He said the damage was 80 to 90 per cent complete and had been verified by Agriculture department officials who had visited the area.

Con una inversión de alrededor de 8 millones de dólares, Sabritas abrió una nueva línea de producción en su planta de Vallejo, en la capital del País, para elaborar papitas horneadas más saludables. Pedro Padierna, presidente de Sabritas para México, Centroamérica y el Caribe, subsidiaria de Pepsico, explicó que este nuevo producto, que ya se comercializa en México bajo la presentación de "Sabritas Horneadas", es la nueva apuesta para atacar un mercado constituido principalmente por mujeres de entre 20 y 40 años, que buscan cuidar su peso.

The average Canadian eats 30 pounds of french fries per year. In China, per capita consumption is less than 3½ ounces. McCain Foods Ltd. is trying to turn the figures for Asia's largest country around. And there is hope for McCain, whose biggest fast-food restaurant chain clients, KFC and McDonald's are seeing exponential growth in China - a country of 1.3 billion people. Right now, top dog KFC is opening one new store in China about every 18 hours.

According to Meredith Myers, Public Relations Manager for the United States Potato Board, "we have a target market that we are really trying to reach in significant ways; we call her Linda and she’s that marketing sweet spot of women who are between the ages of 25 and 54 with kids under 18 at home. Her attention is sought after by many marketers." The USPB has recently launched a new website along with pages on Facebook and Twitter. Brittany Mohr, Account Executive with Fleishman-Hillard says Linda’s friends have expanded.

Columbia Basin growers ratified a 2010 contract with Lamb-Weston last week. The editor of North American Potato Market News, Bruce Huffaker, reported that this was to be the second year of a two-year contract, which was indexed for production costs. The settlement reportedly honored the price terms of the original agreement. The contract return declined slightly less than 12%, in line with the reduction in input costs. According to Mr Huffaker, the growers agreed to other material changes to the contract, to make it more palatable to Lamb-Weston. The 2010 contracts will still be acreage based, but they will include a cap of 3% over a target volume. The cap will be enforced for each grower, at the variety level. The settlement is likely to be a template for remaining settlements in the Columbia Basin. Mr Huffaker said the settlement with Lamb-Weston will be viewed as a benchmark for other negotiations across North America this season.

Hohe Bruttoerträge, niedrige Preise und eine geringe Lagerfähigkeit kennzeichneten den Kartoffelmarkt seit der Ernte 2009. Die vermarktungsfähigen Mengen blieben deutlich hinter den Erwartungen zurück. Dennoch glichen die hohen Erträge einen Teil des niedrigen Erzeugerpreises - mit ca. 8,00 €/dt in Bayern unterdurchschnittlich - aus: „Deutlich mehr Geld wird derzeit für druckstellenfreie Ware angelegt, die allerdings kaum verfügbar ist“, erklärt Willi Zellner von der BBV-Marktberichtstelle. Sehr gute Erträge und Stärkegehalte vermeldeten heuer auch die Stärkekartoffelanbauer.

De concurrentiepositie van de Amerikanen in de wereldwijde markt van aardappel-eindproducten staat onder druk. De marktprijs van aardappelen en daarmee de prijs van het eindproduct is de laatste twee jaren gestegen. Internationaal opererende verwerkers zouden om die reden de productiecapaciteit enigszins naar met name West-Europa verlegd hebben. Ook kopers uit alle hoeken van de wereld zouden in Europa beter tot zaken komen. Zo zijn de verwerkingscijfers in landen als Duitsland en België het laatste jaar fors toegenomen.

McDonald’s officials are meeting with the Potato Variety Management Institute (PVMI) to talk about potential new varieties of potatoes for French Fries. Jeanne Debons, executive director of the Potato Variety Management Institute (PVMI), is meeting McDonald’s officials and other officials from within the potato industry in Caldwell, Idaho, Tuesday. Debons hopes the meeting leads to McDonald’s considering new varieties of potatoes for its French fries. She believes her organization has promising new varieties that will satisfy the fast food restaurant chain’s needs.