News on Food Trends

After some 36 years with AHDB and its predecessor organisations, Potato Specialist Mike Storey is going to retire at Christmas. His colleague Adrian Cunnington looks back...

The FAO Food Price Index (FFPI) averaged 160.8 points in November 2018, down 2.1 points (1.3 percent) from October, the lowest since May 2016, and nearly 15 points (8.5 percent) below its level in the corresponding period last year.

A class-action lawsuit has been filed against the maker of potato chips sold under the brand name Hawaiian, claiming the chips made in Washington State - and not on Hawaii - are misleading customers.

Private Equity investor Nordian Capital has acquired a majority interest in Dutch TecSource (DTS), a leading manufacturer of screw blanching equipment for the potato processing industry

TOMRA, a global leader in sensor-based sorting technology, is committed to its long-term development in China and has further strengthened its set-up in this fast-growing market.

Today the Idaho Potato Commission (IPC) welcomes Alan Kahn as the new Vice President of Foodservice. His extensive foodservice and marketing experience will help him to develop and implement attention-grabbing campaigns focused on foodservice.

Rong Li and colleagues at Ningxia University in Yinchuan, China set out to discover if different tilling and mulching practices could improve soil moisture - and potato yields - in the Loess Plateau.

French Fry manufacturer Aviko, a subsidiary of Royal Cosun and Snow Valley Agriculture have agreed to end their joint venture in China.

RMA Techniek has combined their capabilities in robotics, smart engineering and experience in the potato processing industry in a unique way: the company has specialized in the automated quality assessment of potatoes and shows its progress at Interpom.

Earlier this month, Breeders Trust - an organisation looking after the interest of a.o. potato breeders - revealed a major fraud, concerning the switching of at least 200 tons of potatoes meant for consumption, to seed potatoes

Food businesses will have to change to stay competitive – online, in-store, and at sorting and processing plants too. Bjorn Thumas, Director Business Development Food at TOMRA Food, looks at what we can expect.

PepsiСo Ukraine has started a large investment project at its existing production complex in the Mykolaiv region for the production of Lays potato chips in the Ukraine. Production of potato chips on the new line will start mid-2019.

At Interpom | Primeurs 2018, held in Kortrijk Xpo from November 25 -27, Kiremko will launch its latest innovation in the field of frying oil filtering: the Kiremko Primary Oil Filter.

ENGIE Refrigeration has developed a storage system based entirely on mechanical refrigeration, which allows maintaining the same storage conditions throughout the year.

Key Technology, a member of the Duravant family of operating companies, introduces the newest automatic defect removal system for potato strips – ADR EXOS™ – at Interpom booth #257.

Insort presents its first end-of-line sorter for frozen french fries at Interpom 2018 – the SHERLOCK HYBRID.

During the annual potato variety show at Agrico the topic of discussion was not limited to unique varieties on display. The impact of the excessive heat and drought this season on the seed potato market was also a hot topic.

REMA Environmental Machinery BV has developed a 48 Volt fully electrically driven haulm puller / root cutter for mechanical potato haulm (foliage) destruction in (seed) potatoes.