Over two thirds of the UK’s primary schools are now taking part in the Potato Council’s Grow Your Own Potatoes project.

For the past year the council has been showing parliamentarians just how far the industry is involved in educating youngster about food and farming with a number MPs and MSPs visiting schools.

Potato Council head of marketing, Caroline Evans, said: “Through our corporate affairs work we are committed to showing the increasing role the industry plays in informing children about how food is produced, sustainable farming and healthy eating. Grow Your Own Potatoes is a fantastic way to gain children’s interest by encouraging them to get ‘hands on’.

“We have been building awareness of the project with parliamentary members over the last year with briefings and electronic mailings. As a result we created strong interest with MPs keen to see activity happening in their constituencies. All of the visits were arranged so they could meet the children to see first-hand how the industry is teaching children valuable lessons about potatoes. They were also accompanied by Potato Council board members.”

David Hanson, MP for Delyn in Wales, added: “It is important that young people know how potatoes are grown as they are a staple of our diets and a major contributor to our national economy, worth £4.7billion.”