More potatoes are produced than other vegetables in Iceland. The harvest over the past five years has been in the range of 6 to 9 thousand tons. It would be possible to increase potato production in Iceland significantly and it would be a good contribution to increased food security as it is possible to store potatoes for a long time.
The popularity of potatoes has declined somewhat in recent years, not least among the younger generation. The healthy image of potatoes may not have been as strong as for the colorful vegetables. Tomatoes, broccoli, red peppers and other vegetables are well known to contain vitamins and other nutrients such as antioxidants. At Matís, measurements have been made of antioxidants and antioxidant activity in vegetables, including potatoes.
Surprisingly, more antioxidants were found in potatoes than in various colorful vegetables.
Verkefnið Bætt gæði, geymsluþol og minni sóun í virðiskeðju íslensks grænmetis var unnið á Matís á árinu 2021 fyrir styrk frá Matvælasjóði. Við chemical measurements á kartöflum kom í ljós að kolvetnainnihald þeirra var oft lægra en fyrir erlendar kartöflur. Í Bændablaðinu 12. maí 2022 er fjallað um kartöflur frá bændum á Þórustöðum í Eyjafirði en kartöflur frá þeim voru til rannsóknar í verkefninu. Sum kartöfluyrkin höfðu til muna lægra kolvetnainnihald en algengt er erlendis. Lágt kolvetnainnihald þýðir jafnframt að hitaeiningarnar eru færri en í kolvetnaríkari kartöflum.
Most potato varieties provide fewer calories than cooked pasta and the potatoes have the antioxidants and vitamins in addition to the pasta.
The Office of the Medical Director of Health recommends that people eat five servings of vegetables and fruit a day. Potatoes are excluded in these portions, but perhaps there is a reason to change that. You can read about the results of the project in Matís' report Improved quality, shelf life and less waste in the value chain of Icelandic vegetables - Matís (matis.is)