Belgians are being asked to eat fries at home twice a week to stop 750,000 tons of potatoes going to waste

• Belgium could be facing 750,000 tons of excess potatoes going to waste due to the country's lockdown measures.
• Potato fries, or Belgian frites, have taken a particular hit as they are typically seen as a take-out or restaurant option, instead of an at-home meal component.
• Trade group Belgapom is calling for Belgians to up their frites intake from once a week to twice a week to help with the surplus.
• Belgapom is also donating 25 metric tons of potatoes to food banks every week until the end of May, according to its secretary-general Romain Cools.
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In Belgium, the pressing issue of 750,000 tons of potatoes potentially going to waste is being addressed with a campaign for residents to double their intake of fries (Belgian frites) at home.

Belgian residents are being asked to help eat their country out of the problem by tucking into frites twice a week, according to The Brussels Times.

The country's potato farmers could face having to destroy thousands of tons of the crop due to the coronavirus measures — many restaurants and snack bars have been closed since mid-March, and festivals, where Belgian frites are a popular take-out treat, have been canceled.

With the slump in demand, trade organisation Belgapom is calling for people to assist with the surplus by increasing their consumption of fries at home from once a week to twice a week.

As reported in The Brussels Times frites are mainly eaten in restaurants or as a take-out from snack bars rather than at home.

Even though there are some Belgian snack bars that are open and serving take-out food, there just aren't enough people out and about as most are staying home unless it's an essential trip.

However, Belgapom is also exploring additional avenues to stop the potatoes from going to waste. The organisation is donating 25 metric tons of potatoes to food banks every week until the end of May.

Romain Cools, the secretary-general of Belgapom, said: "Our entire potato chain is happy that thanks to this action, some potatoes are still finding their way to the 460 distribution points of Belgian food banks.

"In this way we also contribute to providing the weakest in our society with tasty and healthy potatoes," as quoted in The Brussels Times.

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