Potato Council
supporting the British potato industry
Britain Celebrates United Nations' International Year of the Potato 2008
Press release: 01/12/2007
The United Nations (UN) has officially declared 2008, the International Year of the Potato (IYP). Potatoes are one of the nation’s best loved foods, appreciated not only for their versatility, but also their health and nutritional benefits. In Britain and throughout the rest of the world, the potato is recognised as one of the most important agricultural crops.
In Britain we eat an average of 94kg of potatoes per person per year! From jackets to chips, to salad or new, potatoes are an essential part of the British menu. With 3,000 potato farmers, Great Britain is the 11th largest potato producing country in the world. In 2007, a harvest of 5.5 million tonnes was produced with an average yield of 42 tonnes per hectare.
British potato growers and processors are amongst the best in the world, and are committed to growing and producing the best quality potatoes and potato products possible. The British Potato Council* (BPC) is therefore delighted that the UN has declared 2008 the International Year of the Potato, believing it to offer the industry significant opportunities to promote British potatoes at home and abroad. BPC has pledged its support to IYP and is planning a series of activities to celebrate this unique event.
These will include the highly successful ‘Grow Your Own Potatoes’ project. Now in its third year this fun, hands-on activity helps primary school children learn about potatoes; how they grow, where they come from and their role in a healthy balanced diet. Grow Your Own has been so successful that the UN has launched its own version, based on the BPC’s.
BPC marketing director, Kathryn Race, said: “We are anticipating that 8,000 schools will take part in ‘Grow Your Own Potatoes this year, teaching 250,000 children all about potatoes! The project is supported by a wealth of educational resources for teachers. In celebration of the International Year of the Potato we’ll also be producing more worksheets that link subjects such as geography and history, as well as encouraging awareness of the need for other nations to grow potatoes.”
In addition to the ‘Grow Your Own Potatoes’ project, BPC has developed some new internationally inspired potato recipes, which will soon be available on the IYP dedicated section of BPC’s website www.britishpotatoes.co.uk. Look out for potato sampling at County and Agricultural shows throughout Britain in 2008.
Across the globe, countries are celebrating IYP with various activities and promotions in support of the campaign. For further information regarding IYP 2008, visit: www.potato2008.org
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Information contributed by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and Horticulture New Zealand
For further information or to arrange an interview please contact:
Lisa Woodman David Gough
Ceres Partnership Ceres Partnership
Tel: 0118 947 5956 Tel: 0118 947 5956
E: lisa.woodman@ceres-pr.co.uk E: david.gough@ceres-pr.co.uk
Editor’s notes
The International Year of the Potato (IYP) was initially declared by the government of Peru and motioned by the UN. The year-long event will focus on the importance of the potato in providing food security and alleviating poverty. The International Year of the Potato was officially launched at United Nations headquarters in New York on 18 October 2007. For more information visit www.potato2008.org
The International Year of the Potato aims to raise awareness of the importance of the potato, and of agriculture in general, in addressing issues of global concern, including hunger, poverty and threats to the environment. Led by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN, local governments and international organisations across the world, including the British Potato Council (BPC), are organising the International Year of the Potato.
*The British Potato Council is a non-departmental public body working on behalf of potato growers and purchasers to promote British potatoes. It is funded through a statutory levy on 3,400 growers and potato purchasers and aims to stimulate, develop and promote the GB industry to consumers and customers.
The aim of the organisation is to increase usage of GB potatoes and ensure the GB industry remains competitive.
For more information on BPC visit www.potato.org.uk and for recipe ideas, hints and tips on cooking with different varieties of potatoes and nutritional information visit www.britishpotatoes.co.uk
