Potato quality under fire

Press, 19 February 1983, Page 7

Potato quality under fire

PA Wellington Potato retailers get a roasting from the latest “Consumer” magazine which says New Zealanders are squandering vast sums of money on unpalatable rubbish. “Consumer” calls for immediate Government action to control the quality of retail potatoes after the results of tests it conducted in the Wellington region last year.

At the moment. "Consumer" says, the only controls on potato retailers are the Potato Board’s standards grades, a voluntary standard, and food and Drug Regulations. The Food and Drug Regulations required food to be labelled with certain basic information, g They required potatoes bagged in clear plastic to be stored in a cool, dark place because light could cause potatoes to turn

green, and it was an offence to sell potatoes with visible green pigmentation in the skin. "For many sellers there might as well be no regulation,” “Consumer" says. “Commonplace were clear plastic bags, no warning words, and potatoes displayed in full light." Display cards were not a legal subsitutite for proper labelling. In June, 1982. “Consumer"

bought more than a tonne of potatoes in 112 lots in the Wellington area. Two-thirds failed to meet the board’s standards. In September it again bought more than a tonne of potatoes in 142 lots, half of which failed. It found widespread dry and wet rot. black spot, greening, potato moth, and excessive numbers of undersized potatoes often wrongly described as new.