A new initiative from potato provider Lamb Weston is taking the farm-to-table trend to the frozen food world.
The Trace My Fries program, which launched April 6, aims to connect customers to the narrative behind their food, all the way back to the communities and farmers that cultivated it. The program comes on the heels of a Sullivan Higdon & Sink FoodThink study that found that 72 percent of Millennials believe they should learn more about the food they’re consuming, and 65 percent of consumers in all age groups place high importance on knowing where their food comes from.
Trace My Fries is the only initiative of its kind in the frozen potato industry and it aims to bring more information to consumers in a category not known for transparency about its roots.
“The ability to share this information and unique story really creates an experience, and that helps the operators build credibility and enhance relationships with their patrons,” says Lamb Weston’s director of strategy for agricultural services, Ashley James.
Consumers can use the new program by entering a code found on Lamb Weston–branded products onto the Trace My Fries website, which will show them information on their fries’ region of origin, along with a bio on a featured farmer. Lamb Weston works with growers across five regions in the U.S. and Canada, and the site emphasizes the company’s commitment to sustainability and land stewardship. Trace My Fries will help make that commitment more visible, something that James says consumers care about.
Connecting customers to food in a way that frozen products have not done before can revamp a brand’s image while building customer loyalty. For Lamb Weston, it’s also enhanced relationships with their farm partners.
“We really value innovation, and it extends beyond our fries. We go all the way back to our roots in the field, and we find smarter ways to care for the soil and the water, and we value our relationship with our farmers and the communities that make our fries possible,” James says. “We’re proud of our fries and we’re really proud of this initiative.”
By Emily Byrd
