Foreign French fry buyers get a potatoes 101 in Washington

Washington Ag Today October 15, 2010 Thirty-eight importers and distributors of U.S. French fries from southeast Asia and Latin America visited Washington earlier this month on a U.S. Potato Board sponsored reverse trade mission.

Matt Harris, Director of Trade for the Washington State Potato Commission, says participants came from such countries as China, Vietnam, Indonesia, Nicaragua, Guatemala and Costa Rica and more. And what they got is sort of a potato 101 course.

Harris: “We showed them digging and farming practices. Then from that we took them to storage and how potatoes can be stored almost a year‘s length of time. From that application of handling-growing, we went to a processor and we showed them how those great Washington state-U.S. potatoes are turned into French fries.”

Participants also went to Seattle where they learned about cold chain handling.

Harris: “And then also culinary aspects of just how to utilize, some very inventive ways to use frozen processed potatoes.”

Harris said there was a good response from the trade mission members. He says for the most part they don’t realize how big the potato industry is in the United States.

That’s Washington Ag Today. Brought to you in part by the Washington State Potato Commission. Nutrition today. Good health tomorrow. I’m Bob Hoff on Northwest Aginfo Net.