RTE's Ear to the Ground Visits Meade Farms New Potato Starch Plant

www.meadefarm.ie

We take great pride in the fact that we have recently brought to market a world class product for use in food manufacturing, Ireland’s only native food grade Irish potato starch, out of a desire to be more sustainable. In the widely-recognised environmental study PROJECT DRAWDOWN, the no. 3 most scaleable solution to reducing climate change is to reduce food waste.

Our starch is doing this, offering a novel, nutritious and premium product to consumers and manufacturers worldwide that is made from surplus-to-requirements potatoes. Unlike European and Russian starch which is predominantly made from potatoes grown specifically for starch extraction, ours are only from potatoes graded out of the table potato market, giving our potato crops more long-term sustainability.

Our state-of-the-art custom-built starch plant processes our out of spec and surplus potato stock and uses cutting edge technology to produce premium quality food grade starch. The system is currently working toward complete carbon neutrality, using wind energy and solar panels A water filtration system adds further sustainability credentials as it helps us conserve the water required in the process. Like the rest of our farm and food production facility, it has received BRCGS accreditation.

Irish Potato starch contains resistant starch which has been widely recognised for its use as a prebiotic, supporting the abundance of beneficial bacteria in the gut. Unlike other starches which convert to glucose in the small intestine, resistant starch resists digestion and reacts like dietary fibre in the large intestine. Some research indicates eating about 15–30 g of resistant starch each day may help protect the body against inflammation in the digestive system. It may also help keep a person satisfied after meals and increase insulin sensitivity, regulating blood sugar. (John Hopkins University Patient Guide to Diabetes)

Consumers now have a healthy, more sustainable alternative to imported starch and food manufacturers have easy access for the first time to an Irish ingredient that will enhance their own products. In addition, other manufacturing processes can utilise our starch to ensure their products are as sustainable as possible.

Видео RTE's Ear to the Ground Visits Meade Farms New Potato Starch Plant канала Meade Farm