A Spud You Can Trust

By Bill Skerrett

Many Prince Edward Islander growers and farmers have long pursued a vision to produce and harvest high quality food with sustainable growing standards that respond to consumers needs for a safe, high quality food source. Enter the non-profit FoodTrust, formed in 2001 to do just that. Now, after three years in development, the first fruit of their labour is ready for market: the Fresh Obsession potato.

The FoodTrust is betting on Fresh Obsession being the potato of choice in Ontario as well as other parts of Canada and the U.S. Getting Fresh Obsession potatoes to market has been a unique joint venture between some PEI potato growers, packers, shippers, the PEI FoodTrust, and A&P Canada. The Culinary Institute of Canada in Charlottetown has even developed potato recipes for the specialized PEI spud.

The spuds are marketed as the freshest, easiest to buy, simplest to cook and most flavourable potatoes on the market. Eric Claus, president and CEO of A&P Canada, says, “we were so impressed with the quality of FoodTrust’s producers and their product, that we made their potato the flagship of our Fresh Obsession produce line.”

In A&P stores, the potatoes are displayed in cooled units to ensure they stay as fresh as the day they came out of the ground. FoodTrust’s CEO Alan Miller says the appeal to consumers is that they can pick their potatoes by cooking method (mashing, boiling, roasting and microwave ready). Says Miller: “We could not have accomplished the plan without many levels of strategic partners. We expect to grow our brand over the next few years by expanding our retail partnerships in other regions of Canada and the U.S. with the potato program. We also have several new partners and products in development, including shellfish and they will come to market in 2004.”