Pre-packs of GVAP organic potatoes in Sainsbury's stores feature a five-digit number on every bag relating to the load delivered to the supplier's packhouse. The number is traceable throughout the site and right back to the grower who supplied the produce.

To view the product's origins, consumers need simply tap the five-digit number into the appropriate field on www.potatoinfo.org.

The spur for the project came after Sainsbury's carried out research among its consumers of organic produce and found that traceability was a priority among them. The recent policy commission on food and farming in England – the Curry report – also recommended closer links along the supply chain to bring producers, retailers and consumers closer together.

GVAP hopes to provide more information to consumers of its organic lines via the website and is looking at listing recipes, links to other organic organisations and further details on different varieties of potato.

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