doubly - fried potato wedges known asfriteshave long been a favorite side cup of tea in Belgian bars and eatery . But in the wake of the state ’s mandatorycoronavirus - link shutdown that began on March 18 , demand for frosty potato ware has plummet , and Belgium has found itself with a surplus of around 750,000 ton of white potato . To keep the tasty genus Tuber from pop off to liquidate , the government is calling on all its citizens to make certain dietary change — namely , feed friesat least twice a week .
Since about 75 per centum of Belgium ’s Solanum tuberosum industry is frozen potato merchandise , the lessen demand from bar and restaurants is putting a major strain on the amount of freezer store usable to house the flood . Officials are hope citizenry can assist take the pressure off by upping their purchase of frozen nestling from food market stores .
“ We ’re working with supermarket to see whether we can found a drive ask Belgians to do something for the sphere by eating fries — specially frozen fries — twice a week during the coronavirus crisis , ” Romain Cools , the repository superior general of Belgapom , the nation ’s Irish potato industry association , toldCNBC . “ What we are trying to do is to avoidfood waste , because every lost potato is a red ink . ”
To foreclose as much loss as possible , Belgium is looking for other helpful andcreative waysto unload some of its unprocessed potatoes . In addition to shipping potatoes to food banking company and countries in Central Europe and Africa that are presently facing food shortages , manufacturers are also converting potato into animal feed and biofuel .
While upstanding citizen all over Belgium Chou down on crispyfritesin the name ofcoronavirus relief , find out just how far white potato have issue forth from their early ( poisonous ) day in the Andes Mountainshere .
[ h / tCNBC ]
