Do your bit for farmers and eat more fries, Belgians urged
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[May 02, 2020]
By Bart Biesemans and Christian Levaux
MOUSCRON, Belgium (Reuters) - With potato
farmers and processors struggling, Belgians are being urged to eat more
fries to offset a slump in demand during the coronavirus pandemic.
Belgium is the world's largest exporter of fries and other frozen potato
products, its processors converting 5.3 million tonnes of potatoes into
fries, mash and crisps per year and sending them to customers in more
than 160 countries.
Restrictions to halt the spread of the coronavirus have forced the
closure of cafes and restaurants, the industry's prime customers for
fries, and processing firms have seen demand fall by as much as 80%.
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"We know Belgians like their fries, it's intangible heritage our frying
culture, so we ask Belgians to consume an extra portion of fries to
allow us to process more potatoes and to avoid food waste," Romain
Cools, secretary-general of industry group Belgapom, told Reuters TV.
Belgapom says worldwide demand for frozen fries has dropped by more than
40%. The potato sectors in neighbouring France, Germany and the
Netherlands are also facing problems.
In Belgium, some 750,000 tonnes of potatoes would not be processed this
year as a result and they were varieties not suitable for other culinary
uses. Some were being exported, some given to food banks, some fed to
cattle and the rest converted into energy at biomass plants.
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![](../images/050220pics/news_I11.jpg)
Fresh french fries are seen at Mydibel Group factory, a manufacturer
of chilled, frozen and dehydrated potato products, amid the
coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Moucron, Belgium April
29, 2020. REUTERS/Yves Herman
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Belgian farmers were likely to lose 125 million euros of income,
Cools said.
Cools urged Belgians to eat an extra portion of fries per week,
cooking at home as well as going to stands selling fries, which have
been allowed to stay open.
Many Belgians say the country invented fries but that U.S. troops
stationed in the French-speaking part of Belgium during World War
One mistakenly called them "French fries".
(Reporting by Philip Blenkinsop; Editing by Janet Lawrence)
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