The continuing cold has not harmed the Austrian potato market much up to now. Because of the very low temperatures growers cannot supply at the moment, but the traders' stores are full, so that there is no bottleneck in the supply. As usual in this season the Austrian potato market is quiet just now. The export enquiries from Eastern Europe increased somewhat recently. The export of potatoes is very restricted at the moment, possibly because of the weather conditions.

Measuring how we taste potato chips’ saltiness could lead to reduced sodium but not lost flavor. The University of Nottingham research, published in the journal Food & Function, follows an investigation into how salt is released from chips into the mouth. Though focused on chips, the research is relevant to salt reduction in all snack foods.

A major controversy has broken out over government plan to import seed potato favoured for the production of high quality crisps and chips. It follows an agreement between the Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Service (Kephis) and its counterpart in the Netherlands signed on behalf of Kenya Government allowing the latter to export planting potato tubers into the country. Now, Mr Wachira Kaguongo, the Chief Executive Officer of the National Potato Council of Kenya says the deal ignores plant material safety importation procedures.

“Zebra Chip”, which causes dark discoloration stripes in potatoes especially when fried, is a major disease problem of potatoes in the western United States. Now, thanks to scientists with the USDA and other agencies, potato growers here in Washington know the identities of the pathogen - insect duo responsible for zebra chip. Joseph Munyaneza, an entomologist at the ARS Yakima Agricultural Research Laboratory in Wapato, Washington talks about the disease.

By 2002, farmers in the Andes were noticing that the decline of their traditional practices led to a low supply of quality potato seed and output. As well, their potatoes had become more susceptible to pests and disease. Communities in Huancayo, Peru heard about the potato collection at the International Potato Center (CIP) and travelled to its headquarters in Lima in hopes of acquiring clean seeds. In response, CIP began repatriating disease-free germplasm to farmers in Andean communities Ten years later, 2012 marks the first time that native potato varieties have been repatriated to the communities as in-vitro potato samples.

French Fry manufacturer Agristo Netherlands and Egemin Automation have closed a multimillion contract for a major automatic cold storage warehouse. The order comprises the construction and automation of an automatic deepfreeze silo warehouse for the storage op deep-frozen fries at -25 °C. Reaching a staggering height of 40 meter the new warehouse to be built in Tilburg will be the highest automatic warehouse in The Netherlands and the Benelux.

Volgens het onderzoeksinstituut PCA hebben de telers tot 1 februari 2,3 miljoen ton aardappelen afgeleverd. Dat betreft 500.000 ton vroege aardappelen en 1,8 miljoen ton bewaaraardappelen. Uit de gegevens van het PCA blijkt dat tussen 1 november en 1 februari 1,0 miljoen ton aardappelen is afgeleverd. Volgens het PCA heeft de grote afzet onder andere te maken met de problemen die de telers hebben met het bewaren van de aardappelen. (Bron: De Vries & Westermann)

Potato farmers in upstate New York have reason to be cheerful. Regulators have lifted restrictions on 300,000 acres of farmland after growers eliminated a devastating potato pest. State Agriculture Commissioner Darrel Aubertine says farmers have adhered to a strict eradication strategy since the 1940s to eliminate the golden nematode, a very small but destructive worm. The area removed from regulation by the state and the U.S. Department of Agriculture account for around a quarter of the restricted acreage in the state.

Canada's McCain Foods is taking "scratch and sniff" advertising to a whole new level with its latest campaign: potato-scented bus shelters. At 10 bus shelters across the U.K., from London to Glasgow, the British arm of McCain Foods has created sizable 3-D spuds mounted on large posters with a button that, when pushed, releases the smell of potatoes baking in an oven. "People like the whole oven-baked smell that comes from a jacket potato," said Emily Pickard, a spokeswoman for the U.K. McCain Foods. "It's quite a warm, comforting smell."

Potato harvesting will start next March in Castilla-La Manca, despite communities like Andalucia already started it. Even if no one knows what will happen, perspectives are positive regarding amounts, according to predictions made at UPA in Castilla-La Mancha, said a sector representative. If predictions happen to be correct and farmers will harvest high yields of potato again after several years of good prices, then value will drop again.