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The coronavirus has disrupted many things about everyday life, but it has also provided some unexpected blessings. In Belgium, residents are being asked to consume french fries due to a potato surplus created by the pandemic.
According to CNBC, there are close to 750,000 tons of potatoes that will not be processed.
In an effort to cut down on any waste, Belgapom, the Belgian potato industry body, wants everyone to increase their french fry intake. Who doesn’t want to be asked to eat more french fries?
“We’re working with supermarkets to see whether we can launch a campaign asking Belgians to do something for the sector by eating fries — especially frozen fries — twice a week during the coronavirus crisis,” Belgapom secretary-general Romain Cools said. “What we are trying to do is to avoid food waste, because every lost potato is a loss.
“To be very honest, the effect on potato consumption will probably last for months, and we can only try to find solutions where the solutions are — for us in Belgium, that could be pushing home consumption. We’ve also asked farmers not to plant that many potatoes for the next season because we believe this season will take some extra months away from next year by postponing processing.”
These are the kind of recommendations we can all get behind.
The coronavirus mainly comes from animals and a majority of those who were infected early either worked at or frequently visited the Huanan seafood wholesale market in Wuhan, according to The Guardian. The virus is similar to Severe acute respiratory syndrome (Sars) and Middle Eastern respiratory syndrome (Mers).
The Wuhan coronavirus is transmitted from person to person through “droplet transmission.” That means an infected person can pass the virus by sneezing or coughing on another person as well as by direct contact.
While a majority of the cases have been detected in the United States and China — with more than 56,000 deaths in the United States — it has now reached many countries around the world. It has also been confirmed in Italy, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, and many other eastern countries.
