All the latest news from Bord Bia

ABOVE: LORCAN BOURKE (THIRD FROM LEFT), PICTURED WITH COLLEAGUES FROM DAFM, TEAGASC AND THE IRISH POTATO FEDERATION

POTATOES, PREPARE TO BE SURPRISED Bord Bia is joining promotional agencies in France and Belgium to promote fresh potatoes among European millennials. The EUfunded campaign, “Potatoes, Prepare to be Surprised – Europe’s favourite since 1536” will run to December 2022.

Speaking at its launch at the National Potato Conference in February, (Bord Bia, IFA and Teagasc), Lorcan Bourke, Sector Manager Horticulture, Bord Bia, said, “While research has shown that there is little rejection of potatoes among this demographic, the campaign aims to increase the purchase frequency of millennials to future-proof potatoes within modern diets. While some millennial’s maybe cooking for one at the moment, their purchase habits will evolve with lifestyle changes, so we want to continue to promote potatoes to this generation to encourage consumption.”

From April, the campaign will target millennials through social media and digital advertising, showcasing surprising and exciting potato recipes in a modern way to encourage this group to prepare them.

IRELAND’S POTATO MARKET It is estimated a total of 8,260 hectares of potatoes were grown in Ireland in 2019 producing 338,000 tonnes. The volume of household potato purchases in 2019 was 212,000 tonnes (Kantar Worldpanel). Last year, the retail market was valued at €235 million. Meath, Dublin, Wexford, Louth, Donegal and Cork are the largest potato growing counties with approximately 250 active commercial potato growers in Ireland. ✽

BEST IN SEASON Bord Bia is planning to raise consumer awareness around inseason fresh produce (Fruit, Vegetables, Herbs) with a social media campaign to communicate the benefits of fresh seasonal produce across the year to consumers. It aims to encourage them to make the simple decision to choose local when buying fruit and vegetables which can have significant positive outcomes for both consumer and industry.

The campaign on social media was launched in advance of St. Patricks Day, and further activity will take place in advance of Easter, to take consumers on a journey from plant to plate to highlight where our food comes from, and to illustrate the resources required to produce fresh, quality produce in-season. ✽

GROW COOK EAT A new series of Grow Cook Eat, sponsored by Bord Bia, will be broadcast into homes across Ireland for a seven-week prime time run on RTE 1.

The show is anchored at the home of GIY, at Grow HQ in Waterford City. Each week the presenters, Michael Kelly and Karen O ‘Donohoe, travel to meet expert food producers. Delicious menu ideas will be shared weekly by Chef Katie Sanderson, founder of White Mausu. From plot to plate to waste, Grow Cook Eat will show that simple, everyday food actions can make a powerful lifestyle change.

Bord Bia's Director of Horticulture Mike Neary notes, "Bord Bia is proud to sponsor Grow Cook Eat for a third season. The programme brings to life the immense time, effort and care Irish growers put into producing nutritious and sustainable fresh produce, while also recognising the significant social and economic contribution they make not just to their local communities, but the wider Irish economy. Viewers can grow their own vegetables at home or buy local seasonal produce and cook one of the tasty recipes in their own kitchens." ✽

HORTICULTURE INDUSTRY DAY Bord Bia’s Horticulture Industry Day on Thursday 23rd of January was well attended by businesses from across the edible and ornamental sectors, as well as industry stakeholders.

Bord Bia shared their latest research including insights into categories and markets from Kantar data, the Bord Bia Consumer Lifestyle Trends and the recently completed Amenity Market Commercial View from Mercator Research. A snapshot of the Food Service 2019 report aimed at the fresh produce sector was also given.

Director of Horticulture, Mike Neary delivered an overview of the Bord Bia Horticulture Marketing Strategy and the services available to the industry. The presentations from the day are now live on the Bord Bia website. The full Value of the Garden Market 2018 is also available to view. This is carried out every two years - the 2020 study is now in-field. ✽ BLOOM CANCELLATION It is with deep regret that Bord Bia has made the decision to cancel Bloom 2020 scheduled to take place from Thursday 28th of May to Monday 1st of June in the Phoenix Park. Following consultation with the relevant authorities, Bord Bia has made this decision in light of the unprecedented threat to public health presented by COVID-19. The health and safety of our visitors, exhibitors and staff is our number one priority.

An event of Bloom’s scale requires many months of preparation involving a range of multi-disciplinary teamwork. This decision will be disappointing news for many of you and we would like to pay tribute to the growers, designers, contractors, exhibitors and sponsors who have worked so hard on this year’s event. Many of you have taken part in Bloom numerous times throughout the event’s thirteen year history and for some, 2020 would have been the first time you joined us in the Phoenix Park. We are highly appreciative that you choose to participate and we hope to be in contact in the autumn to discuss your participation at Bloom 2021.

We know that gardening can be of benefit to people’s mental and physical well-being during this difficult time. The Bord Bia team is now exploring ways we can continue to bring the joys of gardening to the public via the new Bloom website and our other platforms this spring. We are pleased also that the SuperGarden television programme will be broadcast as usual, with a strong emphasis on plants. ✽ THINKING HOUSE STUDIES A major Bord Bia study into understanding the dynamics of the potato consumer has delivered some key insights to inform a consumer promotional campaign to drive growth in the category. Amongst other observations, the report found: ● The health benefits of potatoes are not as well understood with millennials who see them as having the most fat and calories while older cohorts associated them with fibre, magnesium and vitamin C. ● Younger people believe potatoes to be harder to cook. In a world where they believe cooking should not take more than 15-20 minutes, the potato is perceived to take too long to cook and prep. ● The potato lacks relevance for younger consumers – it is not being showcased online in the way other foods are – in an Instagram driven culture it lacks presence. ● Yet the potato is very much part of an indulgent moment and has strong associations with family and Sunday roasts and nostalgic moments. ✽

GROMÓR 2020 Bord Bia-commissioned research on the GroMór campaign in late 2019, shows that it has the same spontaneous brand recognition as SuperGarden, a very credible result, especially considering the disparity in budgets and platforms.

Just over 8 in 10 (81%) of those who were aware of the GroMór campaign claim it motivated them to do something with their garden and almost threequarters (74%) claim that they visited a nursery/garden centre to purchase plants/flowers as a result of seeing the campaign. The full report, which has considerable detail on attitudes to gardening by consumers, will be available to all who sign up for the campaign.

Bord Bia will be working with nurseries and garden centres to continue the campaign in 2020. Some areas of interest for consumers highlighted in the research included growing fruit and veg, bees, the environment and the contribution of gardening to mindfulness. These are the themes that will be reflected in the campaign. ✽

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