A recent trade mission to “potato country” for staff of private voluntary organizations (PVOs) helped to change perceptions of U.S. dehydrated potatoes and spur ideas for new projects that may lead to increased usage of potatoes in food assistance and development programming. This annual trade mission and workshop, sponsored by the U.S. Potato Board (USPB), provides firsthand experience regarding the wide-ranging possibilities for U.S. dehydrated potato products to contribute to global food security.
Fourteen participants attended the April event, which included tours of potato growing, storage and processing facilities in Idaho,and a hands-on field simulation at the Idaho Falls facility of food developer Miles Willard Technologies. Participants represented field and/or headquarters from eight PVOs and the USDA’s Kansas City Commodity Office.
“Workshop guests had many aha! moments as they developed a greater understanding of potatoes and dehydrated potato products,” said USPB nutrition consultant Cade Fields-Gardner. “Guests were also very impressed with the pride and passion of the farmers, processors and others involved in the potato industry.”
Not only did participants gain knowledge of the process from potato seed to dehydrated potatoes; they also demonstrated a greater awareness of the U.S. dehydrated products’ quality and versatility. In particular, the workshop focused on the health and nutrition issues that can be impacted by utilization of dehydrated potatoes and the range of assistance settings in which the products have been helpful.
“At the end, guests were able to cite many situations in which U.S. dehydrated potatoes could be a good fit in their own programs,” Fields-Gardner said.
Capping the event was a luncheon and symposium in Washington, D.C., attended by about 30 USDA, USAID and PVO representatives. The program featured speakers from USDA and USAID and included discussion time for government and PVO representatives to ask questions and share information. PVO participants shared their experiences with the D.C. symposium attendees, solidifying their plans for including dehydrated potatoes in their programming efforts.
The experience also generated interest among PVOs in a variety of new potential projects for the future, including a trial of a dehy granule-based fortified blended food product in a “first thousand days” setting; a pilot program testing dehy-based couscous; disaster relief efforts in western Africa; testing of dehy-based biscuits in Africa; and projects to use U.S. dehy to boost local economies, either through local production or monetization.
Since the USPB initiated its food assistance program in MY 2000-01, PVOs have purchased 13,130 metric tons in U.S. dehydrated potatoes, valued at $16 million, which amounts to 1.8 million hundredweight in fresh-weight equivalent. The USPB’s annual trade mission and workshop has been a key component in these sales.