01/06/06 Insight from Brits on spuds

Farm and Ranch January 6, 2006 Convenience for the consumer is what dominates the marketing of fresh potatoes in Britain and Washington grower Nelson Cox saw it first hand during a recent US Potato Board trip to England where packaged potato products take very little time to prepare. Cox: "They have a lot of potato products that have a four day shelf life. The people come in at night and buy their meal. Like on a Saturday night the shelves are empty in their stores. They just clean them out. It was interesting in the stores. Those people are going to spend about five minutes in a grocery store. They are in a hurry. They come in and pick up four or five items and they are gone." The British don't sell many russet skinned potatoes. Cox: "Light skinned potatoes. Lot of yellow flesh. Red potatoes. They sell a really small potato. A lot of salad potatoes. You know one to two ounce potatoes." Cox says the U.S. potato industry is working on convenience too, but; Cox: "They have pushed the convenience envelope a little farther that we have probably. I think we are working on it but we are behind them." Cox says as U.S. and British growers aren't really fresh potato market competitors there's a willingness to exchange information about each other's industry. Something they have been doing for the past several years now. That's the Northwest Farm and Ranch Report. Brought to you in part by the Washington State Potato Commission. Nutrition today! Good health tomorrow! I'm Bob Hoff on the Northwest Ag Information Network.