PW CONFERENCE WHAT IS CLEARLY MISSING IS A POTATO COORDINATOR Henk Groeneveld and Dirk van Leenen of the Dorsvlegel company commented at the conference on the results of their own research into the consumption and presentation of potatoes in the supermarket. They reached the conclusion that ‘the table potato lacks the necessary responsiveness. The consumer doesn’t know the food value facts. The Nutrition Centre puts the food value of the potato on its website, but there is no communication.’ The presentation on the supermarket shelves lacks the necessary responsiveness as well, according to Groeneveld and Van Leenen. ’ What you miss is the seasons’ picture’, in which you can see where the potato comes from, when it was harvested, etc. ‘What is clearly missing is a potato coordinator’, was Groeneveld’s conclusion. Not much later, he proposed asking Yvonne Jaspers to be the potato Henk Groeneveld, Dorsvlegel: ‘We can develop 150 varieties, but I just wonder if that is what the consumer really wants.’ ambassador. ‘And what has happened with Mr Potato Head’, wondered Groeneveld aloud. He was also surprised about the ample supply of potato varieties. ‘We can develop 150 varieties, but I just wonder if that is what the consumer really wants’, he continued. From an Audience with quite a few breeders and merchants, one could hear a bit of a protest after this remark. The gentlemen from Dorsvlegel also offered three possible solutions for more responsiveness: reach, delight and bond. As an example, they showed a packaging with the text ‘Farm potatoes’ and a few pictures of the crop, the farmer and a tractor. They also complimented an initiative such as the Potato Cycle Path to bring the potato to the attention of the consumer by showing where and how the product grows. ‘Bring the emotion back to the shelf’, Van Leenen summarised the message a little later. ‘In the old days, you bought your potatoes from a farmer and that’s how you knew how and where they grew. Today, you have to tell the supermarket customer all this’, was Van Leenen’s advice. 14 Potato World 2010 • number 1 Pagina 13
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