Accounting for 12% of the crop, chips continue to be a priority for Potato Council. Chip Week has become one of the biggest awareness weeks in the calendar, but, as important as it is, it is still only one aspect of the work that Potato Council does to support the sector. The Chip Skills Programme looks at improving quality and sales year round, with entries to the Choice Chip Awards opening in January.

Stu Baker, Marketing and PR Executive for Potato Council, said: “Chips are an important market for the British potato industry. Our Chip Skills programme provides year round support, helping chip shop owners to improve chip quality, promote their own business and boost sales throughout the year.   For the first time we are producing promotional kits for shops branded ‘love chips’ so chip shops can use them all year to promote chip sales.”

In fact Potato Council is able to help with advice on all sorts of issues, from how to go about building a profile in the local media, to more technical points, such as quality control, waste reduction and fry colour management.

Stu added: “As an industry we can all work together to help support chip consumption and drive sales – this includes Chip Week 2014 (17-23 February) – which provides the perfect platform for industry to develop relationships with chip shops and merchants and tell them about the support that Potato Council is able to offer through its Chip Skills programme.”

Growers, processors and packers can get also help to make Chip Week a success by using the logo and other promotional literature on their websites or in marketing material and sharing chip recipes (which are available to download from www.chips.lovepotatoes.co.uk) with customers. Running promotions, sharing recipe ideas and even raising awareness through social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter are just some of the many ways for industry to get involved.

THE CHOICE CHIP AWARDS

2014 will see the return of the prestigious Choice Chip Awards. These recognise and reward the best chips served across the country – based on customer votes.

Stu added: “If you supply the chipping trade, encourage them to register for the ‘Choice Chip Awards’ – not only is it a great opportunity for pubs, restaurants and chip shops to build positive recognition and local PR for themselves, you too can benefit from being part of the quality chip supply chain.”

Registration literature is available for industry to send out and can be requested by emailing chipweek@potato.ahdb.org.uk

For more information on Chip Week 2014 visit http://chips.lovepotatoes.co.uk/