Irish America

Potato

A "Blight-Free" Potato?

By R. Bryan Willits, Editorial Assistant
October / November 2015

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A variety of potato engineered to be resistant to the pathogen that caused the Great Irish Potato Famine has been approved for deregulation by the USDA. The J.R. Simplot Company’s so-called Innate potato is more resistant to bruising and black spots than most varieties. When cooked at high temperatures, this potato also produces less acrylamide, a chemical compound that some … [Read more...] about A "Blight-Free" Potato?

US Potato Consumption Falls

By Matthew Skwiat, Contributing Editor
October / November 2014

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Say it isn’t so! Sales and consumption of the potato have drastically fallen in America. Sales in the U.S. are down more than 25 percent since peaking in the mid 1990s. According to the Department of Agriculture’s statistics from 2012, the consumption of fresh potatoes – baked, chopped, or mashed – fell to 27 pounds per year, down 40 percent from 47 pounds in 1970. A … [Read more...] about US Potato Consumption Falls