Competitors cooperating to address fry demand

Farm and Ranch Report January 19, 2011 You know what a French fry is right? Well, a lot of nutritionists don’t.

O’Connor: “Many of them don’t realize that French fries are sliced and cooked potatoes. They think they are manufactured out some sort of dust through some industrial process and all these potato parts are glued together somehow to make a French fry.”

That is Tim O’Connor President and CEO of the U.S. Potato Board citing the results of some research of nutritionists. Findings like that have shaped the strategy of a new group called the Alliance for Potato Research and Education, which O’Connor says has a simple and straight forward goal.

O’Connor: “To turn around the demand situation for French fries starting with filling in the knowledge gap that exists on what fries are and their actual nutrition profile and moving all the way forward at some point downstream to talking to consumers in a constructive way about fries.”

The nutritional information gatekeepers are step one.

O’Connor: “We have a whole different nutritional profile than the product of ten years ago. And they are made from potatoes that are fried and cooked and the ingredient list on French fries is not that complex.”

O’Connor says domestic fry demand is such a serious issue that the five major North American processors, who are competitors, are cooperating as core members of this alliance that also includes the U.S. Potato Board and the National Potato Council.

That’s the U.S. Potato Update. Brought to you by the United States Potato Board, maximizing return on grower investment. I’m Bob Hoff for Northwest Aginfo Net.