Can I Purchase No.2 Potatoes In Cartons?

Q:

Can I get No. 2 potatoes in boxes or cartons for my fresh cut fries? It would seem that the potatoes would stack easier than the bags and our employees might not have to be so careful about opening the bag and having potatoes spill out before we have finished using each bag. I have already stopped using the burlap bags as I found that if I didn’t get the burlap off the potatoes completely sometimes the fries looked like they might have a human hair when the burlap piece turned black from the fryer.

A:

That’s a smart discovery on one of the reasons to make sure the potatoes are washed clean when packed in burlap bags or sacks. And the paper bags can sometimes get torn.

Several Idaho shippers now can pack No. 2 or #2 potatoes in a carton, just ask your distributor. I took a picture of one of the cartons supplied by an Idaho fresh potato shipper in the Sysco label. You’ll note, the “Grown in Idaho” seal to insure that the potatoes inside the box are from Idaho.