Boston Public Radio Podcast

Concern is growing over what the Boston Globe is calling a potential “spudpocalypse” threatening Massachusetts’ potato supply. Award-winning food writer Corby Kummer joined Boston Public Radio on Wednesday to explain whether Massachusetts residents might see a drop in potato stock at their local grocery stores. The spuds most at-risk are grown on Prince Edward Island (PEI), where farmers ship between 250 million to 300 million pounds of potatoes to the U.S. annually. According to the Globe, “Massachusetts residents consume an average of 75 million pounds of PEI potatoes each year, second only to Puerto Rico.” Lately, potato crops on Prince Edward Island have been decimated by potato wart, a fungus that poses no threat to humans but produces spores and appendages on potatoes. “It's been very bad for the [Prince Edward Island] potato industry; not all that bad for the Massachusetts potato supply,” Kummer said. “We have to be worried about Prince Edward Island farmers and their access to markets. They're hopin