BRUSSELS, Belgium (KRON) – Belgians are being asked to eat more French fries (frites) as the country faces a surplus of potatoes due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Romain Cools, secretary-general of Belgapom and board member of Belpotato.be, is calling on Belgians to eat fries twice instead of once a week to hopefully help save the frozen potato sector, which continues to work with contracts, The Brussels Times reports.
Otherwise, a surplus of around 750,000 tons of potatoes are at risk, local media reports.
“This is very unusual, as the potato sector in Europe has never asked for any support at all so far,” Cools told the Times. “But a pandemic is affecting the global market and what has been a strength for the industry is now becoming a disadvantage.”
Much of the potato surplus is being blamed on Belgium’s decision, which like other countries, decided to close restaurants, bars and other public places to stop the spread of the coronavirus.
At last check, Belgium has more than 48,000 confirmed cases of the coronavirus and more than 7,3000 deaths have been reported.
Cools said companies are also working on finding more solutions to avoid food waste.
Additional support is being provided by the European Potato Processors’ Association.
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