May 21 , 2007

The United States Potato Board (USPB) Public Relations Department is pleased to announce to the US potato industry two recently published studies with positive implications for potatoes. Through its ongoing nutrition programs, the USPB will publicize the findings of these two studies. Following are the summaries. For more information, please contact Linda McCashion, USPB Vice President, Public Relations, 303-369-7783, or lindam@uspotatoes.com.

• Long-Term Effects of Two Energy (Calorie)-Restricted Diets Differing in Glycemic Load---American Journal of Clinical Nutrition

Conducted by Tufts University and USDA’s Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging, this report was published in the April issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. A key finding, as stated by Dr. Susan Roberts, director of the USDA HNRCA’s Energy Metabolism Laboratory, was “participants in our pilot study achieved and maintained comparable weight loss after one year regardless of whether they were on a low-glycemic-load or a high-glycemic load diet.” (underline ours).

Why is this good news for potatoes? A hotly debated premise of diets based on the glycemic index (GI) is that foods high on the GI, such as potatoes, cause weight gain. This study backs up the long held belief that it’s really about calories.

Tufts did an excellent job communicating this study, which has already appeared in several on-line publications. 

• Dietary Patterns and Diabetes Incidence in the Melbourne Collaborative Cohort Study---The American Journal of  Epidemiology

In this study dietary information was collected from 31,641 individuals, and four dietary patterns were isolated. Two of these showed no association with Type 2 Diabetes risk. One was associated with increased diabetes risk (meats, eggs and fatty foods). Another pattern was inversely associated with diabetes risk (a variety of salads and vegetables, including potatoes cooked without fat). Upon further digging, USPB learned vegetables, as a group, when excluding potatoes, showed no association, positive or negative, with diabetes risk. In other words it appears potatoes, prepared in healthy ways, may provide some protective effect against Type 2 Diabetes.             

Why is this good for potatoes? In order to defend potatoes against low carb, and/or Glycemic Index related claims, we need good scientific news. This study helps the industry build a body of evidence on behalf of potatoes.

Attached, for industry use, is the USDA-approved press release on the above two studies.

Diabetes Release

In addition, there are two USPB sponsored research projects in the works. 

• Satiety Research on Potatoes–Due Summer 2007

This research is sponsored by the USPB, and is being conducted at St. Luke’s Hospital in New York City. USPB expects results to build on previous research positioning potatoes as extremely satisfying foods.

This research will help substantiate our position that calories matter, and that potatoes, with 110 calories and no fat, belong in weight management programs.

• Blood Pressure Reduction and Potato Consumption–Due Late Summer/Early Fall 2007

A study recently conducted in Australia reported reductions in blood pressure for those eating a diet rich in fruits and vegetables. Each participant was told to eat a potato a day. USPB plans to sponsor a cross tabulation to isolate the potato impact on blood pressure. Budgeted in the fiscal year starting July 1, this cross tabulation will take six-eight weeks to complete.

Determining whether a potato-a-day reduces blood pressure should be very helpful in enhancing the healthful image of potatoes. Maintaining normal blood pressure is one of the three health goals identified by the American Heart Association.

USPB has begun demonstrations in New York of innovative potato recipes to “long lead” publications (some have six month lead times between when a story is written and it is actually published). USPB public relations agency, Fleishman-Hillard, continues to book appointments, but has confirmed meetings with:  Woman’s Day, Food and Wine, Everyday Food, First for Women, Woman’s World, Family Circle, Good Housekeeping, Redbook, Country Living, Everyday with Rachel Ray.  Hoped for appointments include O (Oprah) and Real Simple. 

USPB will present to the Food Network the week of June 11; and for the week of June 25th, staff will head to Nashville and Relish Magazine, Des Moines for Better Homes & Gardens and Midwest Living, then down to Birmingham, AL for Southern Living and Cooking Light.

Celebrity chefs, Bruce and Mark, the chefs from the Healthy Potato Headquarters during Parade Week 2006, will demonstrate three of the microwave recipes enjoyed by USPB Board Members and guests during the 2007 USPB Annual Meeting in mid-March. They will add variations for each recipe, as we want consumers to know they can change recipe ideas according to their own preferences.

At all meetings, the USPB will also plug potato nutrition and the upcoming UN International Year of the Potato. Staff recently asked for and attended a meeting with the UN to discuss ways to work together for International Year of the Potato promotional efforts. 

2007 USPB CONSUMER/MARKET/INDUSTRY RESEARCH CD NOW AVAILABLE

The development of a sound market promotion program is based on sound information. To accomplish this objective, the USPB invests in the best consumer, market, and industry data, within budgetary guidelines, in order to provide the entire industry with the most recent and accurate data and information with which to make proactive and informed decisions.

Research lays the foundation for all USPB programs, and it also supports our activities with industry stakeholders--shippers, processors and exporters. Given the rapidly changing environment, it is critical to continually update and add to our research library to ensure programs and activities stay in tune with the marketplace.

The USPB continues to support the industry in its ability to increase demand by conducting core research and analysis. Understanding the consumer, the market and the drivers that impact change are critical to increasing demand for potatoes throughout the world.

Recently completed, the 2007 USPB Consumer/Market/Industry Research CD 2007-1 is now available for industry use by contacting Mac Johnson, USPB Vice President, Domestic Marketing at 303-369-7783 or macjohnson@uspotatoes.com. This comprehensive research CD contains 13 files in the order as outlined below. To view a brief description of each available research report, please download this summary from the USPB web site:

2007 US Potato Board Research Summary.doc

1. Top-Line Summary
2. AC Nielsen Supermarket All Category Sales: NPD IFMATRAC Frozen Foodservice Sales
3. NPD IFMATRAC Frozen Foodservice Sales
4. USPB Total Industry Demand Estimate
5. USPB Program Evaluation Report
6. Retail Price Preliminary Overview
7. NDP Group National Eating Trends
8. USPB Training Programs Overview
9. USPB International Trade Numbers
10. Decision Analyst – Convenient Potatoes
11. Promotional Activity Analysis Overview
12. Developing a New Consumer Message
13. Potato Message Quantification
14. 2007 Attitude and Usage Study

Other CD’s Available

• 2006 Potato Industry Outlook Summit held in Chicago—Request CD 5
• New Fresh Potato Labeling Changes go into effect January 1, 2008. Here is the new label, the change of claims that can be made, and new versions of the “skinny potato” graphic. All information in English and Spanish—Request CD 4 – 07
• Full AC Nielsen Supermarket Data Set, and full Frozen Potato Foodservice Data Set from NPD-IFMATRAC—Request CD 3 – 07
• All March 2007 Chip Seminar presentations—Request CD 2 – 07

USPB FACILITATES JAPANESE MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE, FORESTRY & FISHERIES INSPECTION OF CHIP-STOCK EXPORTS

An inspector from the Japanese Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry & Fisheries (MAFF) visited fields and a packing shed in California to pave the way for resumption of exports of US chipping potatoes to Japan. Arranged by USDA-APHIS officials and the Kern County Agricultural Commissioner's office, the USPB paid for the inspector's trip, utilizing Technical Assistance for Specialty Crops (TASC) and Board funds. USPB International Marketing Department staff also participated in the inspection visit to help answer questions and provide background information. 

The inspector toured all fields where the potatoes will be harvested from, as well as the packing shed to be utilized to store and pack the potatoes into one ton plastic mesh totes for shipment. Much of the discussion surrounded how the Kern County officials will inspect the potatoes and issue the phytosanitary certificate. New to the inspection this year was the provision of test results for PCN conducted on all fields where the export potatoes were grown, as well as seed certification information demonstrating the seed was not from Idaho and was free of PCN. It is hoped that as shipments to Japan become more common, MAFF will no longer need to conduct annual inspections of this kind.

The Korea-US Free Trade Agreement, completed in late April 2007, provides US potato growers and potato processors important new marketing opportunities in a rapidly growing global economic market. Negotiated by the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), the FTA would provide immediate duty-free access for frozen potatoes, establish a more favorable quota for dehydrated products and begin to provide increasing access for fresh potatoes.

“This historic agreement, which substantially increases access for US potatoes and potato products to the Korean consumer, has the potential to dramatically increase US potato exports overall,” noted Virgil Slagell, a potato grower from Oklahoma and current co-chair of the United States Potato Board (USPB) International Marketing Committee.  “USTR and USDA did an excellent job representing our domestic potato industry during the talks with Korea.” 

Korea is currently the fifth largest destination for US potato exports. In 2006, the United States shipped 31,726 MT of frozen potatoes to Korea, valued at over $24 million. Fresh potato exports reached 2,886 MT, valued at $702,749, while dehy exports were 3,679 MT, valued at $9,807,982. The increased access provided in the FTA will allow all of these sectors to grow substantially, particularly dehy, which historically has faced severe restrictions.

“Bilateral trade agreements are critical to growing US potato exports and providing a level playing field with our global competitors. On behalf of the US potato industry, the National Potato Council (NPC) will be urging Congress to act quickly to approve the Korea-US FTA,” indicated Richard Polatis, a potato grower from Idaho and current vice president of Trade Affairs for the NPC. 

For additional information on the potato specific portions of the agreement, contact John Toaspern, Vice President, International Marketing, USPB at 303-369-7783 or johnt@uspotatoes.com; or John Keeling, Executive Vice President & Chief Executive Officer, NPC at 202-682-9456 or johnkeeling@nationalpotatocouncil.org.

$250 Seed Grants Available for International Potato Symposium-Las Vegas

US seed growers/exporters are now able to receive a $250 grant when they register for the International Potato Symposium. The grant will cover two nights of hotel costs in Las Vegas. Those who have already signed up will also receive the grant. The Symposium will be held at Caesar's Palace on July 30, 2007, in Las Vegas, Nevada. The registration deadline is June 25. The Symposium is a one-day educational forum that kicks off the USPB's annual seed tour. This year, growers, importers, restaurateurs and produce managers will be coming to the US from the Dominican Republic, Honduras, Nicaragua, Sri Lanka and Uruguay, to learn about the US seed certification system, tour seed production areas and meet US seed growers. Contact Leah Cochran at 303.873.2323 or
lcochran@uspotatoes.com for more information or to register.

The International Department staff, after many months of work, submitted a 300+ page Unified Export Strategy (UES) to the Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) of USDA. The UES is the Board's application for federal agricultural export promotion dollars, totaling over $5 million in Market Access Program (MAP) funds and $370,000 from the Quality Samples Program (QSP). These funds will be utilized in the Board's July 2008/June 2009 fiscal year (FY09). For FY08, the Board has already received MAP funding of over $4.8 million, as well as QSP and Emerging Markets Program (EMP) and Technical Assistance for Specialty Crops (TASC) funding.

The UES calls for export programs for frozen, dehydrated, table-stock, chip-stock and seed potatoes. Markets covered are mainly in Asia, but also include Mexico and Central America. All programs outlined are based on the Board's long range plan in place for 2007 - 2011. At current rates the US will export $800,848,000 in potatoes and potato products in the current marketing year (July 2007/June 2008). With increased market access and a continuation and expansion of the Board's export market development programs, it is expected this figure will continue to grow.

Home | About Us | Contact Us

©2007 United States Potato Board