News on Food Trends from United Kingdom

AHDB has announced it is winding down significant activities on behalf of the horticulture and potatoes sectors. While awaiting a decision on the future by Ministers in England, Scotland and Wales, AHDB wants to reassure levy payers their views have been heard.

NDC Technologies, a leading global provider of precision measurement and control solutions, proudly offers the Series 9 online food gauge and InfraLab e-Series at-line analyzer to companies looking for accurate and reliable control of key constituents in the manufacturing process.

Scotts Precision Manufacturing has extended its distribution network with the appointment of a new sales and service agent to cover Scotland.

Work has started on a new GBP 6m facility, which will be used to extract high-grade plant protein from potatoes, at Branston's site in Lincolnshire, United Kingdom. Branston is working alongside B-hive Innovations as part of a collaborative project to improve potato crop utilization.

Plant scientists at the James Hutton Institute are studying the evolution of late blight in potato by working with industry and research partners to track the distribution and diversity of dominant clones in Europe in 2020

The British potato industry remains in a state of great uncertainty and at significant risk of crop wastage and economic failure as a result of minimal progress on the availability of suitable sprout suppression chemistry.

Tim, currently Chief Operating Officer of the Food and Drink Federation (FDF), will take up his position at the Stoneleigh-based levy board on 31 August 2021, replacing Jane King. During the intervening period, the interim AHDB CEO will be Ken Boyns, AHDB Chief Finance, and Operations Officer.

A ballot to decide the future of the AHDB Potato levy has concluded and the voting report has been passed to Ministers for a decision on what happens next.

Planting a Green Headland on uncropped areas around potato and field vegetable crops can capture nutrients worth £200/ha over the growing season.

A move to cut down on food waste by selling unwashed potatoes – and in doing so potentially double their shelf-life - is being launched by Tesco.

The joint venture behind Mackie’s Crisps is investing £750,000 (just over 1 million USD) in a new production facility to scale up production of a new snack brand.

UK Potato Storage Specialist Crop Systems Limited is responding to major growth in its business with further investment at its factory and new appointments, including Tony Barnes as Sales Manager.

Agri-Food Chain Platform KisanHub has launched Paperless Load Passports. This solution allows users to manage the movement of products through the supply chain all on their mobile devices.

AHDB Head of Export Trade Development for Potatoes, Patrick Hughes spoke of the importance of the EU market to seed potato growers and how he was hoping for a rapid resolution to the prohibition on UK exports to the Continent.

To ensure the research AHDB funds has the biggest impact and benefit for the potato industry, they work to connect growers with researchers and scientists with initiatives like their Strategic Spot Farms.

The Scottish seed potato industry has harnessed willing buyers in Europe to support their efforts to get the European Commission to re-think its current ban on the importation of UK seed stocks – yet the chances of success remain 50/50.

The Grow Your Own Potatoes (GYOP) Programme will go ahead as planned in 2021 with the support of the potato industry.

In one year, a Scottish potato company removed almost 27 tons of plastic from its packaging.