French fries taste alert: “Not inedible but different!” »
Brussels chip shops are worried about the quality of their potatoes. After a rainy spring, the harvests were a month late, affecting even our cones of fries.
Published on 08/19/2024 at 5:01 p.m.
On Facebook, the famous Maison Antoine chip shop, located on Place Jourdan in Etterbeek, alerts its customers: the next cones of fries sold may not be as good. At issue: the quality of the potatoes that the brand receives. “I find them much harder than usual,” explains Dominique, head of the team of fryurists. The same observation is made at Jeff’s Fries, avenue de l’Université in Ixelles: “Some potatoes are completely destroyed. They have brown spots inside and out.”
The purpose of the post, according to Dominique, is preventive. “Unfortunately, we are dependent on harvests. The fries are not inedible, they are simply different from those that customers are used to eating,” explains the manager. Bernard Lefèvre, president of the National Union of Friturists (Unafri), ensures that his institution is monitoring the situation closely: “As soon as the potato is affected, it becomes our priority. If the weather doesn’t change too much now, it should be good.”
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Fields too muddy
On the producers’ side, rain is blamed for the lack of quality. After a usual autumn, the spring was rainier than usual. “The situation was quite extreme,” laments Pierre Lebrun, president of the Walloon Potato Industry (FIWAP). “The soils were too muddy and the machines could not access the fields. » As a result, the last harvest was carried out a month late, affecting the quality of the latest deliveries. “We have seen the difference for two weeks,” confirms Dominique.
In addition to quality, it is quantity that could be affected. “8% of production remained in the fields because the shoots were too hard to pull out. Usually, this is counted in hundredths of a percentage,” explains the president of FIWAP. For the moment, no shortage is felt in Brussels. “We are big customers. I think they will prioritize our deliveries first,” explains the manager of Maison Antoine.
Identical prices for customers
For the moment, the price of the cones is not changing. The two brands we met charge identical prices: €3.50 for a small container and €4 for a large one. “We must not forget that fries are our flagship product,” explains Dominique. “People come to us because they want fries. If we start making them too expensive, it risks discouraging them. We have to remain reasonable.” The same caution is required at Jeff’s Fries: “It’s going to be complicated to increase prices.”
In addition to the drop in quality in recent weeks, the two chip shops are worried about the rise in the price of potatoes. “Three years ago, I bought them for €0.18 per kilo. Today, they are €0.60, and this is only increasing,” explains Jeff’s Fries. Pierre Lebrun, president of FIWAP, responds: “60% of potatoes in Wallonia are sold under contract. Prices are set before harvest. For two years, this price has been increasing. This is due to the crises we are experiencing: that of energy and Covid, obviously, but also the war in Ukraine, because producers use rapeseed oil purchased in the region. The advantage of selling under a fixed contract is that bad harvests do not affect the price.”
In recent days, the sun has returned and temperatures are more summery. The players in the world of fries want to be reassuring. “Everything has been replanted normally,” assures the president of FIWAP, before adding: “The weather is favorable, the delay is being made up.” On the Unafri side, Bernard Lefèvre claims to have seen the new plantations: “The shoots are doing very well. This quality issue should be resolved within three to four weeks.”
