Now that the potatoes have been harvested, they are loaded onto lorries and taken to the processing centre where they will be washed, sorted into various sizes and inspected for quality.

Q Why is it important to transport the potatoes to the processing centre quickly?

A If a potato is stored for too long it can lose some of its vital nutrients, such as vitamin C. Once harvested, the potato is processed quickly so that it

can arrive at the supermarket as fresh and nutritious as possible.

(Key Stage 1: Science Sc1 1, 2a Key Stage 2: Science Sc1 1a)

Q What are Food miles?

A The number of miles food travels from ‘plough to plate’, that is from the place of production to consumption.

(Key Stage 1: Geography 1a, 2a, Key Stage 2: Geography 1a, 2a)

Small group work: (15-25mins)

Key Question: How far do potatoes travel?

Activity

You will need a selection of potato bags or packaging, which provide details of where thepotatoes were grown and packed. Alternatively, or in addition, the pupils could search the Internet to find the location of potato growers in the UK.

Divide the pupils into small groups. Each group will need to either draw or obtain a map of the UK and a second map of the world. The pupils need to place a marker or, if the maps are to be displayed on a wall, a coloured pin on the location of their school.

The groups should now plot the location of potato growers within the UK and those located around the world. Markers or coloured pins should be used to identify the location of the individual potato growers.

The pupils could also place string or ribbon between the different locations and their school.

Once all the different potato growers have been plotted, the groups should now calculate the distance from each grower to their school.

What were the longest and shortest distances travelled by potatoes?

Why do we import potatoes from other countries?

Is it better to buy locally produced potatoes? Why?

(Key Stage 1: Geography 1b, 2c, 4a, 5a Key Stage 2 Geography 1a, b, 2b, c)

The soil is now washed from the potatoes which then go on to be sorted into different sizes for use as baking, roasting, salad or general purpose potatoes. All of the potatoes are inspected for quality before going on to be weighed and packed.

Q Why are the potatoes washed?

A Too much soil on the potato adds to the final weight during packing. If the soil wasn’t washed off, the consumer would then be paying for the weight of soil as well as for the potatoes.

(Key Stage 1: Science Sc1 1, 2a Key Stage 2 Science Sc1 1a 2a)

Q Why are potatoes sorted into sizes?

A Potatoes are often sorted into those that are best for salads (small), roasting (medium) and jackets (large).

(Key Stage 1: Science Sc2 4b Key Stage 2 Sc2 Science 4c)

Individual work: (10-15mins)

Key Question: What’s so good about potatoes?

Activity:

Distribute copies of the handout: ‘What do you know about potatoes?’ to each pupil. Ask each pupil to try and answer the questions about the qualities of a potato.

The pupils might also like to investigate the meaning of some words such as: potassium or riboflavin. They could write a definition of the word and give a brief explanation of how it helps to keep us healthy.

The answers are: 1: true 2: true 3: true 4: a 5: b 6: d

(Key Stage 1: Science Sc1 1, Sc2 2b Key Stage 2: Science Sc1 1a, Sc2 1a 2b)

“What do you know about potatoes?”

Try and answer the questions below to discover that potatoes are quality!

True of false?1 Potatoes contain vitamins C & B T/F2 Potatoes contain more potassium than bananas T/F3 Potatoes contain protein T/F

4 How much fat does a potato contain?

none lots about the same as a barbecued chocolate bar

5 It’s more healthy to cook a potato:

with its skin left onwith its skin offturned inside out

6 Potatoes contain:

fibreironfolic acid, riboflavin, thiamine, niacin all of the above

After washing and sizing, the potatoes are weighed into the correct quantity ready for packing. The weighing machine sorts the potatoes into the correct weights according to the size of bag or tray ready for transporting to the shop or supermarket.

Q Why are potatoes sorted into various weights and different sized bags?

A The potatoes are weighed into differing sized bags so that the consumer can purchase the approximate amount that they need. For example, a large family would want to buy more potatoes than a single person. Also, a large bag will weigh more than a smaller one and be difficult to carry.

(Key Stage 1: Science Sc1 1, 2a Key Stage 2: Science Sc1 1a, 2a)

Q Do all potato plants produce the same weight of potatoes?

A Different varieties of potato produce different yields. For example, the variety ‘Charlotte’ produces approximately 1628 grams per plant while ‘Ratte’ produces 1123 grams.

(Key Stage 1: Science Sc1 1 Sc3 1b Key Stage 2: Science Sc2 4a, b, Sc3 1a)

Small group work: (15-20mins)

Key question: Is it possible to guess the weight of potatoes?

Activity:You will need to provide each group with a selection of potatoes. The potatoes

should be a range of varieties and different sizes. Each potato needs to be given an identification number or letter.

The groups should try and guess the weight of each individual potato and make a note of their estimate on the handout. Once the weight of all the potatoes has been estimated and noted on the handout, the groups should now use a set of scales to weigh the potatoes accurately. All of the actual weights need to be noted on the

handout, with the difference between the estimated and actual weights calculated.

Were any groups able to guess the actual potato weights within 2-3 grams? Were any potato varieties more difficult to estimate than others?

Using the same potato varieties, can the groups now guess what the weight will be after the potatoes have been peeled? Weigh the peeled potatoes and, as before,

calculate the differences between the estimated and actual weights.

(Key Stage 1: Maths Ma2 1a, b, c, d 4a, c Key Stage 2: Maths Ma2 1a, b, c 4a, b)

Variety Guess Actual +/- ? Guess Actual +/- ?

The potatoes are now placed in pre-printed bags ready to be transported to the various shops and supermarkets. The bags have the sale weight, the variety of potato, where the potato was grown, nutritional values and serving suggestions already printed on them.

Q Why is it necessary to print the variety of potato on the bags?

A Some varieties of potato are better than others for being cooked in certain ways. For example, the ‘Saxon’ variety of potato is great for mash, while ‘Cara’ is ideal for

jackets, ‘Maris peer’ for salads and ‘King Edward’ for chips.

(Key Stage 1: English En2 1i, j, k, l, m 2a, b, c Key Stage 2: English En2 3a, b, c)

Q Why are plastic bags used for packing potatoes?

A Plastic bags are a convenient way to package potatoes because they are easily available and allow the consumer to see the quality of the potatoes. However, it’s not a good idea to keep potatoes in plastic bags for too long as the bags tend to keep moisture in which can cause the potato to rot.

(Key Stage 1: Science Sc3 1a, b, c d Key Stage 2 Science Sc3 1a, b, c, d, e)

Potatoes are packed into various sized bags and then placed onto pallets ready for transporting to shops, supermarkets and processing centres. Placing the packed potatoes onto pallets allows a forklift truck to easily load the produce onto containers ready for delivery.

Q Why are some of the packages on pallets wrapped in sheets of plastic?

A The plastic wrapped packages are usually those potatoes packed into smaller bags and cartons ready for display in shops and supermarkets. The plastic wrapping

ensures that the packages are kept safely on the pallets and are not liable to slip or fall during the loading procedure.

(Key Stage 1: Science Sc3 1a, b, c d Key Stage 2 Science Sc3 1a, b, c, d, e)

Q Why aren’t the larger sacks of potatoes wrapped in plastic?

A The large paper sacks contain a greater quantity of potatoes and, as they are much heavier than the smaller packs, less liable to slip from the pallet.

(Key Stage 1: Science Sc3 1a, b, c d Key Stage 2 Science Sc3 1a, b, c, d, e)

Activity: Whole group work (15-20mins)

Key question: What are the best types of bag for carrying and storing potatoes?

Activity: You will need a variety of different types of bag, ranging from plastic (varying thicknesses), paper, Hessian, cardboard and metal. You will also need to have available sufficient quantity of potatoes (approximately 3-5 kilos) to test the bags.

Ask the pupils to suggest what they consider to be the most important features of a bag. List these suggestions as a form of criteria which the bag should meet.

Allow the pupils to examine the different bags and then ask them to suggest which they consider to be the best for a) carrying potatoes and b) storing potatoes.

Some questions that the pupils will need to consider:

Is the bag strong enough to carry the potatoes a short distance?Is the bag easy to carry?Is the bag reusable?Will the bag store the potatoes safely?Will the bag prevent the potatoes from rotting?Can the bag be packed away easily when not in use?

The pupils should decide which bag satisfies most of their questions and meets all or most of the criteria that they have agreed upon.

(Key Stage 1: Science Sc3 1a, b, c d Key Stage 2 Science Sc3 1a, b, c, d, e)

Those potatoes that are sent to the processing centre are used to make a wide variety of products. Some of the products are pre-cooked and then frozen, others are made into fresh ready meals, and some products contain potatoes along with lots of other ingredients.

Q Why are some potato products frozen?

A Some potato products are frozen so that they can be kept in the freezer for up to eighteen months before using.

(Key Stage 1: Science Sc3 2a b Key Stage 2: Science Sc3 2b, c, d)

Q Can potatoes be stored without freezing?

A Potatoes stored in a cool 7˚C to 10˚C, dark place will keep for several weeks.  At room temperature, they will keep for approximately two weeks

(Key Stage 1: Science Sc3 2a b Key Stage 2: Science Sc3 2b, c, d)

Individual Work (10-15mins)

Key Question: How many potato plants are needed to produce a bag of frozen roast potatoes?

Activity:

The pupils will need to calculate how many potato plants are required to produce a bag of frozen roast potatoes. Firstly, given an average yield per potato plant, the

pupils will need to calculate how many plants are required to produce a sack of potatoes weighing 51 kilos and then how many plants would be required to produce a 1 kilo bag of roast potatoes.

The answers are: given the average yield of 1500 grams per plant it would need 34 plants to fill a 51 kilo bag and, with a wastage (peeling) of 1.5 kilos, it would require

0. 66 plants to produce a 1 kilo bag of roast potatoes.

(Key Stage 1: Maths Ma2 1a, b, c, d 4a Key Stage 2 Maths Ma2 1a, b, c, d, 4a b)

How many potato plants?

The average potato plant produces 1500 grams of potatoes.

1. How many plants are needed to fill a 51 kilo sack?

After peeling and processing, there are now 49.50 kilos of potatoes remaining.

2. How many plants are needed to produce each 1 kilo bag of frozen roast potatoes?