The first ever ‘Potato Week' takes place from 1-7 October in the UK and is a chance for everyone involved in growing, supplying, retailing and serving potatoes to educate and inspire consumers.

Introduced by Potato Council, the Week builds on the success of Potato Day held in 2010. This kick-started the ‘Many Faces of Potatoes' activity; a three year marketing campaign spanning the UK, France and Belgium supported by EU co-financing, allowing an increased investment in marketing.

Simon Bull, marketing manager for Potato Council, said: "Potato Week is an opportunity to raise the profile of our fantastic crop. We want the whole supply chain to join us in demonstrating to families and younger consumers in particular - as they are eating fewer potatoes than their parents - that they are a healthy, tasty and versatile option for mealtimes.

"We will be promoting the Week through a dedicated PR campaign, recipe placement and engaging with consumers through social media channels. We'll also have a range of materials available for industry to use to raise awareness of Potato Week and have come up with a number of ways they can get involved.

"We know that people ultimately love potatoes, but we have a job to do to continue to build demand and consumption. Potato Week is a perfect platform to do so and dispel some of the myths at the same time; proving that potatoes are naturally nutritious, as well as being quick and easy to cook. In fact potatoes are far quicker to cook than many people think - there are many ways to cook them in thirty minutes or less. Potatoes not only provide a source of vitamins and minerals, but they are also naturally fat-free. We hope the industry will join together to support this exciting initiative."