Washington State Potato Commission trade representatives say that China is very much interested in potato flakes to make snack foods.
Following attendance at the International Food Ingredients Asia trade show, Washington state representatives said China has not had much luck with corn-based snack foods and is very interested in potato flakes.
Washington has now targeted snack-food makers and bakeries for sales growth. The Chinese buyers were well informed about potato flakes and eager to make trade contacts.
Washington representatives learned that the Chinese use some domestically produced dehydrated potatoes and imports from Europe. The domestic potatoes have low quality and the manufacturers are interested in higher quality.
Washington flake plant representatives will take the trade leads that were generated and try to make things happen. The only drawback is the 35 percent tariff that is tied to WTO accession.