Potato industry could get boost from rebranding
Potato industry could get boost from rebranding
As is true for all sectors of agriculture, the potato industry faces its own set of challenges. Tyler Thompson, farm manager of the San Luis Valley Research Center, said rebranding of the potato could overcome significant problems faced by the industry.
“It is my observation, some of which stems from credible sources, statistics and articles, that American potato consumption is falling,” he told The Produce News. “Supply is plentiful, and demand just isn’t what it used to be. Why? Perhaps the potato is in need of rebranding. I grew up with some form of potato on my dinner plate — Midwestern for lunch — for as many days as I can remember from growing up.”
The problem, he went on to say, is a consumer focus on the brown-skinned, white-flesh russet, which is getting a bad rap. “Select, vocal consumers have spun a negative twist on [it] claiming that it causes problems like diabetes, high cholesterol, obesity, etc.,” he commented. “But this fact couldn’t be further from the truth. There are hundreds of named and developing varieties with many known and yet-to-be-discovered health attributes that boast characteristics such as high antioxidant capacity, anti-diabetic compounds, anti-aging and eyesight preservation compounds. The majority of consumers clearly aren’t hearing the story that the potato industry is trying to tell. How to provide a solution to this anecdote will prove pivotal to the survival of the potato in the ever-evolving world food trends. And as these trends evolve, farmer questions about how to be better stewards to their (potato) crop and markets will continue to encumber the agricultural experiment stations across the United States. Thus, it is a tall order, but we at the San Luis Valley Research Center will always be committed to providing the highest quality information that can be derived.”
