Our latest insight shows 66% of UK consumers do not think there are enough sweet potato options on menus*. With such strong consumer demand, this poses an opportunity for operators to increase their sweet potato offerings with exciting options that consumers will be willing to pay more for.

Our Great British Breakfast Competition has returned and we are on the hunt for the nation’s best breakfast.

By the time you have finished reading this, we will have moved over to a new harvest main crop which brings its own challenges, not least because of the variable quality of raw material we are witnessing from the farms. However, from a consumer point of view, it is good news that potato prices have fallen over the last two months. If we look back to April 2017, the day and 6 month potato future prices were certainly a lot higher than where we find them today. As I write this newsletter, the raw material prices across Europe are falling below €100/ton.

In our last newsletter from June we described the situation of crop year 2016 and our expectations for the market until the end of the old season. We faced high daily market potato prices and there was a fear for running out of potatoes before the new crop would become available.

Adding quality innovative touches to any menu opens up a wider variety of choice and commands a higher price point. This is why we have launched Aviko Gastro Gratin, a premium potato side that will give menus the edge and help maximise profits.

Thanks to its unique flavour and perceived health benefits, sweet potato is proving to be the summer side, especially fries. Whether served alone as a tasty bar snack, alongside burgers, grilled halloumi or even as a dessert with a salted caramel dip – trust us it works – our Aviko Sweet Potato Fries are a versatile addition for menus.

If we can achieve it the perfect balance in life is everything in moderation, especially when it comes to food. Eating excessively combined with little or no exercise will lead to weight gain and rising obesity levels.

We’re excited to exclusively reveal the launch of Aviko Gastro Gratin, the new premium potato side that will give menus the edge and help maximise profits.

In mid-July we move to the new crop, good news given that in last April’s newsletter we reported a limited supply of old crop potatoes. This shortage resulted in higher prices; despite there being limited trading of potatoes over the last weeks, the daily price has risen significantly from € 210 per ton in the third week of March, to €255 per ton in the first week of June.

During the last 25 years, I have seen volatility in soft commodity prices, driven by supply and demand. What has been alarming however, is the frequency of these changes since 2010, which has created even more fragility.

Planting the early varieties of the 2017 crop started last week under good conditions in Rhineland/Western Germany. The planting season has also started in Southern Germany/Bavaria, with mild weather and favourable ground conditions.

Demand for sweet potato out-of-home has exploded over recent years, becoming the side of choice for many consumers thanks to its unique flavour and perceived health benefits. We expect this to continue into 2017 and beyond, and the fact that sweet potato is considered a more premium product means operators are able to encourage customers to trade up and spend that little bit more.

Are you ready for Coeliac Awareness Week (8th – 14th May 2017)? This year, Coeliac UK will be launching its ‘Gluten Freevolution’ at the start of the week, campaigning for better gluten-free food when eating out.

Thanks to advances in technology, we’ll experience social changes throughout our lifetimes – and even in the near future. We’re already seeing how developments in areas such as computing and artificial intelligence have the ability to reshape entire industries – alongside our daily lives – and this is also upending the way we think about food, including where and when we consume it. Technological advances are helping us overcome challenges such as the rise in obesity and levels of food waste, but greater human endeavours are needed to help solve some of these huge global issues.

Congratulations to Torquay-based bed and breakfast, The 25 Boutique, which has been awarded with the title of ‘Best Hot Breakfast’ following our search for the nation’s best morning dish out-of-home.