Belgians urged to eat fries twice a week as coronavirus creates massive potato surplus

[Recursion]

https://www.cnbc.com/2020/04/28/coronavirus-belgians-urged-to-eat-fries-twice-a-week-during-lockdown.html

Belgians are being called upon to eat fries at least twice a week as more than 750,000 tons of potatoes are at risk of being thrown away.

The coronavirus crisis has led to a surplus of potatoes in the small European country, as demand for frites — a national dish of twice-fried potatoes often eaten in bars and restaurants — has slumped amid Belgium’s government-enforced lockdown.

Speaking to CNBC in a phone call on Monday, Romain Cools, secretary general of Belgian potato industry body Belgapom, said around 750,000 tons of potatoes — enough to fill 30,000 big lorries — would probably not be processed because of the pandemic.

The issue was largely down to a fall in demand in the frozen potato sector, which accounts for around 75% of Belgium’s potato processing, he said. As inventories built up, freezer capacity was being squeezed. In order to mitigate the problem, Belgapom was appealing to Belgians to up their weekly intake of fries.

From the other side of the Oise, I stand ready to do my duty!

[unblock]

1. we'll take 'em! we haven't been able to score frozen fries, so i've had to make them from scratch

well, technically, i bake them, but they're shaped like fries, so mini-unblock will eat them....

[Cirque du So-What]

2. I was under the impression

that Belgians didn't require urging to eat their pommes frites.

[House of Roberts]

3. We're partial to hashbrown casserole here.

I'm trying to avoid eating fast food, so french fries aren't really an option.

[enid602]

4. Papas a la Provenzal

I prefer them served in the Argentine manner, drizzled with a mixture of olive oil, garlic and parsley.

[aikoaiko]

5. Apples of the Earth

[TheBlackAdder]

6. Belgian Waffle Fries! I wonder what they would look like. 😂