For the first time in 45 years, potato farmers in the East and North of England are experiencing a downturn in demand so significant, they’ve wound up with a surplus of spuds.
What seemed to be apocryphal reports were confirmed by the National Federation of Fish Fryers last week, who blamed weight-loss jabs for quelling the sale of full-portion fish and chips.
This comes after a bumper year for the crop in 2025, which forced sellers to lower prices as demand could not catch up to supply. Some growers said the spuds risked winding up as cattle feed or being destined for the anaerobic digestion plant: to them, a waste.
The big picture is murkier. The sale of fresh spuds has fallen dramatically since the 1970s, whereas the sale of processed potatoes (such as crisps and French fries) have increased by 100%. It is primarily their sale that is being affected by weight-loss jabs: to some, a long overdue correction and a victory over ultra-processed foods.
Notwithstanding Britain’s gift for growing potatoes (the vegetable thrives in such temperate climes as ours), a public campaign to integrate more fresh spuds into our diets, keeping sales strong, particularly in lieu of imported carbs, would not go amiss.
Keep calm and cook on
