Matamata operators who attended industry training have reduced average fat per gram of hot chips from 9.6 per cent to a staggering 7.8 per cent, well below the national average of 10.8 per cent.

Following a successful initiative from industry organisation The Chip Group, customers in the small Waikato town can be confident many local chip retailers are now serving tastier lower fat chips.

“As a result of the training 1711kg of fat will be removed from the Matamata food supply per year,” said Glenda GourlgGourley, Chair of The Chip Group. “This equates to about 3 trailer-loads of fat!”

The training hosted by The Chip Group in February educated staff from 10 take-away shops on cooking deep-fried chips to best practice industry standards – reducing fat and salt content to ensure the crispiest, most delicious results.

“We chose Matamata to participate in this initiative because it has a large number of chip shops in a relatively small area, which are frequented by locals and many tourists throughout the year,” said Glenda.

Local operator Sky Peng got a lot out of the training. “I didn’t realise simple things like cooking at the right temperature and draining properly could have such a big impact on my chips,” he said.

“By following industry standards I have been able to lower our fat content alot – and this makes a big difference to my customers.”

Samples were collected by mystery chip shoppers prior to each retailer being invited to complete the training, and again after they had completed the training to compile the data.

“As a nation we love hot chips – and Matamata has shown that almost every hot chip retailer can improve the standard and quality of their chips if they are trained and follow best practice industry standards,” said Glenda. “The training is available free and online.”

The initiative preceded the 2013 Best Chip Shop Competition, which invites chip retailers to enter their hot chips in a national competition to be crowned New Zealand’s 2013 Best Chip Shop.

Entries for the 2013 Best Chip Shop Competition are now open and available online at www.chipgroup.co.nz/best-chip.

This year the 2013 Best Chip Shop Competition acknowledges all operators who are achieving fat content lower than 9 per cent. They will earn a Highly Commended Award to display instore, making it easier for consumers to pick good outlets.

For more information about the Chip Group, best practice standards training and the 2013 Best Chip Competition, please visit www.thechipgroup.co.nz.

ENDS

Who is the Chip Group?

The Chip Group is an industry collaboration made up of Potatoes New Zealand, chip and oil manufacturers and equipment suppliers. Our activities are supported by health and government members such as the Heart Foundation and The Ministry of Health.

Our overriding goal is to improve the nutritional status of deep-fried chips served by New Zealand foodservice by reducing fat (total and saturated) and salt content.

More information can be found at www.thechipgroup.co.nz.

Media release

12 April 2013

The Chip Group Ltd

For more information/media enquiries, please contact:

Dan Walraven

Ideas Shop

04 499 8995

Spuddy was on tour last week, travelling south to join the fun at the Matamata Town Makeover!

On Monday 25th February The Chip Group held the Training Seminar for all local retailers selling hot chips in Matamata. Training and Education Manager – Kate Underwood and Champion Chippie – Michael Huang ran the seminar in both English and Chinese and are pictured here with Spuddy! They had a great turn out with loads of industry support including McCains Foods Ltd, Mr Chips and Dean Langall-Read from AS Wilcox.

“It was really great to see the enthusiasm from operators who were learning about their role in the health of their community, and that by making slight changes in the way they cook their chips they can make a significant improvement to the health of their customers” says Kate.

One of the key messages from the training was pointing out the ‘danger zone’ for operators cooking hot chips. When fresh our beloved potatoes have as little as 0.1-0.2% fat, after being processed into chips by McCains or Mr Chips they are around 4-5% fat, but once they reach your fish and chip wrapper they can be anywhere from 7-22% fat – depending on the level of skill of the operator.

Matamata operators were very excited to start putting their new skills into practice and start cooking ‘BETTER CHIPS’ for locals and tourists passing through. Here is Spuddy again with local chippies proudly holding their training certificates.

To find out more about The Chip Group head to their website here. And watch this space for a further update on the Matamata Town Makeover coming soon…

Keep your kids busy while you get ready for Xmas the It’s My Turn to Cook Tonight Bosch School Holiday Program is on this week. Download the e-book HERE.  Full of lots of potato recipes co-sponsored by Potatoes New Zealand, will run live online on Thursday 20th December @ 10am!

The interactive show is the brainchild of food and nutrition educator Glenda Gourley, and her 18 year-old daughter Claire. Already it’s been hailed by celebrity chef and healthy food promoter, Jamie Oliver in his blog.

By encouraging children all over New Zealand to learn to cook their family dinner and eat together, the program also supports the Ministry of Health Food & Nutrition Guidelines for children and young people aged 2-18.

“We want to help children get savvy and confident with food in a way that’s fun, but also delivers results,” says Glenda.  “It’s simple – kids who have food skills make better food choices.”

“The online program is a win-win. Parents can sit back and have their dinner cooked while their children learn healthy food skills, and enjoy hanging out with other kids learning to cook online,” she says.

“We encourage kids to start with simple and healthy dishes like mashed potatoes with spices or herbs, we’ll have them whipping up a scrummy potato salad, show them how to make healthy hash browns on the barbecue, or oven baked potato wedges with salsas and salad.” says Glenda.

The cooking session is highly interactive with the mother-daughter team giving step-by-step instructions direct to children. A range of activities encourage sharing and creativity through live-chats and fun games such as origami puzzles, Christmas gift ideas, and tips and tricks to make the food festive.

The class also recognises other aspects of food health and safety.  “We include lots of other foodie things like how to make food choices, kitchen safety and helping children gain confidence both in the kitchen and on the computer,” says Claire.

Originally trialed as a pilot in April 2012, the response from participants was overwhelmingly positive. The program is supported by 5+ A Day.

For more information and to register online go to www.foodsavvykids.com

For more information contact:

 Glenda Gourley, Potatoes NZ, 027 428 1646

Fiona Morris, Ideas Shop, 027 224 2542

Potatoes New Zealand are taking a pro-active approach to the current Obesity epidemic. Our focus is to establish and encourage good eating habits with kiwi children.

The facts are simple:

• The most reliable predictor of adult obesity is childhood obesity.
• NZ kids don’t eat enough vegetables.
• Potatoes are kiwi kids favourite vegetable.
• Children with food skills/knowledge are likely to make better food choices.
• Parents are important role models, whose food habits influence childrens food choices.
• PNZ support NZ Nutritional Guidelines for Children and Young People and are committed to sharing their intent with consumers.

We are extremely supportive of the child cooking strategy It’s My Turn To Cook Tonight which focuses on getting kiwi kids gaining skills and confidence in the kitchen as well as the parenting strategy Food Savvy Kids which offers tips and advice about how to prepare your child for a healthy future.

As an industry we accept a corporate responsibility to help New Zealand children establish good eating habits, and we are confident that POTATOES play a crucial role in making it happen.

We were able to share this approach at the 2012 Australia and New Zealand Obesity Society Conference (ANZOS) held last week in Auckland. Our Marketing and Education Consultant Glenda Gourley shared her success with the Bosch It’s My Turn To Cook Tonight Online School Holiday Program and inspired the audience to be innovative and pro-active on what we can do to improve the health of our children and our childrens’ children. For more info on the program check out her website here.

Potatoes are one of ‘Seven foods not to fear’ in the latest copy from the Sunday Star Times- 22nd July. Along with Gluten/Wheat, Fried Foods, Eggs, Fruits, Soy and Alcohol. Here’s what Katherine Tallmadge has to say to back up our mate Spuddy:

“Potatoes have been blamed for increasing blood glucose levels, insulin resistance, excess weight and type 2 diabetes. A recent Harvard study that followed larged populations and their disease rates linked potato eating with being overweight, blaming in on the blood glucose rise.

But many foods, including whole-wheat bread and whole-grain cereals, cause similar spikes in blood glucose, and are correlated with superior health and lower body weights. How could the higher body weight in the Harvard study be explained?

The study lumped all potato products together, including potato chips and french fries, very fattening versions of potatoes usually eaten in large portions alongside hamburgers, hot dogs and fizzy drinks.

“It’s and easy food to attack, but the meal pattern may be the culprit,” said David Baer of the Department of Agriculture. “Other epidemiological studies have not verified a connection between potatoes and weight gain or any diseases, and no clinical studies have shown a connection.”

Potatoes are a great source of potassium, vitamin C and fibre that many cultures- Scandinavians, Russians, Irish and Peruvians – relied on as a nutritious staple for centuries. And they were not fat. ”

Find out more about the Potato as a ‘Nutritional goldmine’ here.

The term ‘Fat free’ has been beaten to death in the food industry. But unlike most foods that claim to be ‘95% fat free’ – (another way for saying they contain 5% fat). Potatoes only have 0.1-0.2% fat, which is virtually nothing. Earning themselves a ‘Fat free’ label. However it all depends on the cooking technique. Deep frying potatoes adds a lot of fat and once cooked, some potato chips can contain up to 20 grams of fat per serve.

But if you just can’t resist the taste of a good chip, then look for chunkier cuts or potato wedges with the skin on. These soak up less fat than shoe-string or crinkle-cut chips and by keeping the skin on they retain all their good nutrients. Some pre-made chip brands are better than others and can be relatively low in fat with only 3-5%, even lower when oven-baked instead of fried.

Straight from the paddock a potato is just about free of fat, so the idea is to choose a cooking method that keeps the fat content low. Baking is a good option. Spray the potatoes with only a little oil and you can get that same crunchy result as you would if frying. Also try to choose recipes that don’t add excess fat and where possible substitute full fat ingredients with lower fat options such as low fat sour cream or using milk instead of cream. Try these yummy Lime and Chilli Wedges with Lamb Koftas a go. For a meal that is lower in fat and tastier than the fish and chips from your typical takeaway store.

Potatoes have a very high satiety rating. Which means they help you feel fuller for longer and can stop you from over eating. Their Satiety Index (SI) -which is the rating given to compare different foods, shows Potatoes are 3 times higher than White bread and twice as filling as White Rice and Pasta.

As you start to pay off those bills and debts from the over-spending during summer let the potato be your support crew. The perfect pantry staple for keeping a full stomach and a full wallet. While also helping you stick to those New Years Resolution to look and feel great. This Mediterranean Potato and Vegetable Bake is ideal for a quick and tasty mid-week evening meal. Check out the recipe here.

What better way to celebrate the start of a new year than taking advantage of the plentiful New Potato. Most of you probably already included these beauties on your Christmas dinner table. But just because the festivities are over doesn’t mean we need to stop chowing down. New Potatoes are a goldmine of nutrients, and with their very brief season we should all be making the most of them!

Let the New Potato help kick start the New Years resolution to get active, eat better and improve your health. Full of good quality carbohydrates they are perfect to fuel that new exercise regime. With close to no fat, they are the perfect light lunch or dinner option. Toss them into a salad with chicken breast, fresh herbs, tomatoes and a balsamic-olive-oil dressing and you will have a quick healthy meal option.

And remember Potatoes don’t need to be complicated. They are so versatile and you can match them up with any meat you have on hand! Bake a batch of chunky wedges for an easy quick afternoon snack and you will have a bunch of very happy kids.

After the over-indulging on all the rich delicious foods over the Christmas period, the potato is your saviour for a satisfying meal in minutes. Go back to your ethnic roots, and try throwing in a few chunks of potato into your next Omelette for a uniquely Spanish twist. For more quick and easy meal ideas the whole family can enjoy, checkout more recipes on our website.

American research released late last year by the University of California, Davis and the National Center for Food Safety and Technology, Illinois Institute of Technology demonstrates that people can include potatoes in their diet and still lose weight. This research was presented at the Obesity Society’s 28th Annual Scientific Meeting October 8-12, 2010. The study sought to gain a better understanding of the role of potatoes and the glycemic index in weight loss, largely because some have questioned the inclusion of potatoes in a weight loss regimen due to the vegetable’s designation as a high glycemic index (HGI) food.

“The results of this study confirm what health professionals and nutrition experts have said for years; when it comes to weight loss, it is not about eliminating a certain food or food groups, rather, it is reducing calories that count,” said lead researcher Dr. Britt Burton-Freeman, PhD, MS. “There is no evidence that potatoes, when prepared in a healthful manner, contribute to weight gain.  In fact, we are seeing that they can be part of a weight loss program.”

Researchers studied 86 overweight men and women over the course of 12 weeks to measure the effects of a reduced-calorie modified glycemic index diet with the addition of potatoes.  The subjects were randomly assigned to three groups and each had a diet that included five to seven servings of potatoes per week.  The results indicated that all three groups lost weight.

One group was given a list of foods with a low glycemic index (LGI) to include in their diet daily.  The second group was given a list of foods with a HGI to include in their diet daily.  Both groups were to reduce their daily caloric intake by 500 calories while also consuming five to seven servings of potatoes each week.  All participants were guided and monitored for compliance by a dietitian to only eat foods on their lists or like foods along with the provided potatoes.

Participants in the third group – called the “control group” – were allowed to choose their daily meals and caloric intake on their own, but were encouraged to adhere to the U.S. dietary guidelines and the food guide pyramid. The only requirement of the third group was – like the other two groups – they had to include five to seven servings of potatoes each week.

All subjects were provided recipes and counseled accordingly for successful dietary adherence.  The results indicated that all three groups lost weight and there was no significant difference in weight lost between the low and high glycemic index groups.

This is good news for potato lovers and any consumer who craves the satisfaction of wholesome yet healthy meal options.  One medium-size (5.3 ounce) skin-on potato contains just 110 calories per serving, boasts more potassium (620g) than a banana, provides almost half the daily value of vitamin C (45 percent), and contains no fat, sodium or cholesterol.

“We’re thrilled with the results of this study,” says Kathleen Triou, vice president of domestic marketing for the United States Potato Board (USPB).  “For the last few years the humble spud has been vilified in respect to its weight management properties.  Now we realize that it should be glorified for its role in healthy weight loss.”

This material is taken from www.potatogoodness.com – the US Potato website.