The Great Big Idaho® Potato Truck Hits the Road for its Third Cross-Country Tour with American Heart Association's Go Red for Women® Movement

The World's Largest Potato On Wheels Will Travel Close to 19,000 Miles and Visit 26 States in Five Months with a Fresh New Look and an Important Heart-Health Message for Women

BOISE, Idaho, April 17, 2014—The head-turning, jaw-dropping Great Big Idaho® Potato Truck is back on the road for its third consecutive cross-country tour with a new message for women: Take care of your heart! The five-month long, 2014 Big Idaho® Potato Truck Tour kicked off in Boise, Idaho with waves, cheers, and hugs from the students of Riverside Elementary School and salutes from soldiers at the Air Force Base in Mountain Home.

Hundreds of Riverside Elementary School students in Boise, along with teachers, parents and the IPC’s mascots Spuddy Buddy and Spud Beauty, gave the Truck its biggest (and loudest) send-off ever!

In 2011, fresh Idaho® potatoes were certified by the American Heart Association’s Heart-Check Food Certification Program by meeting the program’s nutrition requirements and they now bear the highly recognized and respected Heart-Check mark on the packaging. This recognition is profoundly helpful in reminding consumers that Idaho® potatoes can be a part of their everyday diet. Knowing that heart disease is the No. 1 killer of women (mothers, sisters, daughters, friends) and is more deadly than all forms of cancer combined, it’s more important than ever that women understand the role both diet and exercise play in achieving a healthy lifestyle.

“The Idaho Potato Commission’s (IPC) support of the American Heart Association’s Go Red For Women movement provides another new and exciting way we can remind consumers, especially women, of the nutritional benefits Idaho® potatoes offer,” said Frank Muir, President and CEO, IPC. "In addition to a new charity beneficiary, we’ve rebranded the Truck so it showcases fresh Idaho® potatoes prepared in various ways and creatively communicates the potato’s nutritional benefits.”

“The American Heart Association’s Go Red For Women movement is grateful to the Idaho Potato Commission for supporting us in our fight against heart disease in women,” said Bernie Dennis, Chairman, American Heart Association National Board of Directors. “This is an exciting opportunity for the Idaho Potato Commission to help educate consumers on ways they can prevent heart disease through diet and exercise.”

In 2014, the Truck will visit 26 states and travel close to 19,000 miles during a five-month period. The Truck and its seasoned traveling Tater Team will stop at high traffic events like the Kentucky Derby, the Art Car Parade and Festival in Houston, Texas and the 55th World Lumberjack Competition in Hayward, Wisconsin. In between events, the Truck will visit key retailers and foodservice operators, and local places of interest it finds along the way.

The Great Big Idaho® Potato Truck has a great big new look for the 2014 Tour. Updated branding features fresh Idaho® potatoes prepared in a variety of ways, and important nutrition information and the charity beneficiary, Go Red for Women, are prominently displayed on the back and side panels.

The Truck
The Great Big Idaho® Potato weighs more than 6 tons (the equivalent of 32,346 medium-sized Idaho® potatoes). It has become a traveling ambassador for the country’s most famous potato. After being seen by hundreds of millions of Americans in person and in the IPC’s national television commercial, the most frequently asked question is, “Is it real?” We’ll never tell… but in the event it is, the Great Big Idaho® Potato:

• Would take more than 10,000 years to grow.

• Is 1,102 times heavier than the largest potato ever grown, which weighed 11 pounds.

• Would take 2 years and 9 months to bake.

The Great Big Idaho® Potato Truck was created and built by Chris Schofield and Sharolyn Spruce of Weiser, Idaho. With the help of a few specialized contractors, they spent an entire year designing and building this incredible vehicle. The Kenworth Sales Company and Western Trailer, both based in Boise, Idaho, also aided with the construction.

The Tour
To find out when the Great Big Idaho® Potato Truck will be in a city near you, please visit www.bigidahopotato.com. The website provides in-depth information about the Truck, the IPC’s support of the Go Red For Women movement and weekly updates with tales and photos from the road.

Join the Truck’s social media community by checking out and posting photos using #bigidahopotato on Twitter and Instagram (@bigidahopotato). Don’t forget to “Like” the Big Idaho® Potato Tour on Facebook, too!

About Go Red For Women
Go Red For Women is the American Heart Association's national movement to end heart disease in women. We are committed to the fight, for as long as it takes. The American Heart Association's Go Red For Women movement advocates for more research and swifter action for women's heart health. The American Heart Association's Go Red For Women movement was created by women, for women. Because our health is non-negotiable, because we have the power to save our lives, and because the best force for women is women. The American Heart Association's Go Red For Women movement is nationally sponsored by Macy's, with additional support from our cause supporters. For more information please visit GoRedForWomen.org or call 1-888-MY-HEART (1-888-694-3278).

About the Idaho Potato Commission
Established in 1937, the Idaho Potato Commission (IPC) is a state agency that is responsible for promoting and protecting the famous “Grown in Idaho®” seal, a federally registered certification mark that assures consumers they are purchasing genuine, top-quality Idaho® potatoes. Idaho's growing season of warm days and cool nights, ample mountain-fed irrigation and rich volcanic soil, give Idaho Potatoes their unique texture, taste and dependable performance, that differentiates Idaho® potatoes from potatoes grown in other states.

For more information, please visit www.idahopotato.com
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