By Heather Chalmers Supermarket chain Countdown says its biggest selling potato is still the one with the least flavour – white washed potatoes – providing an opportunity for growers. Countdown business manager vegetables Grant Robinson said potatoes were a pantry staple, with price still consumers’ number one consideration. Customers also preferred that their potatoes were…

Every year The Chip Group aims to train 240 food service providers, with the goal of reducing fat/oil content, salt content and serving size. These desired outcomes have 2-fold benefit; to improve the health profile of our biggest processing product and improve business profitability for the end user of the product. Past research by co-funder…

By Niki Bezzant Do they use Roundup on potatoes? This was the question hotly debated recently on Newstalk ZB, as part of a broader conversation (in which I was interviewed) about pesticides and chemicals used on food crops. The host, Simon Barnett, swore he had ‘heard somewhere’ that potatoes were sprayed with Roundup (glyphosate) and…

By Heather Chalmers The breakdown of the traditional media model is an opportunity for growers to tell their own stories to consumers and engage them directly, says agri-food broadcaster and commentator Sarah Perriam. “We can take control of our story, rather than relying on media to do it for us. “Media are not the gatekeepers…

SE Asia responds to keener prices Strong demand from key South East Asian markets has helped New Zealand consolidate its fry export performance for the fourth consecutive month. Since March, total exports for each month have been above or close to 7 000 tonnes, with a particularly strong performance from markets in Malaysia and Thailand….

I caught up with Andy by phone as he rode his quad bike back to the office What do you enjoy most about working in the potato industry and how do you maintain your enthusiasm? The thing about farming and growing crops is that every day is different. There are always challenges, which keeps you…

By Gemma Carroll, Communications and Engagement Officer It was 5-6 months in the making, but I am happy to say we had a rich and thought-provoking gathering for our biennial conference and AGM. It was two days covering all things R&D at our Agronomists Forum, brilliant minds, experts in their fields as keynotes at our…