IT TAKES 200 days of love and care to grow a potato – but it remains the most thrown out food in the UK.

With hopes of encouraging people to think twice before chucking their spuds in the bin – and to mark Stop Food Waste Day on April 27 – sector giant Albert Bartlett has released a fast motion film showcasing the lifespan of a Scottish potato.

Around 4.4 million potatoes are wasted every week in the UK. The film, part of Albert Bartlett’s ‘School of Spuds’ initiative, hopes to highlight the growing and supply chain and encourage consumers to take care of their potatoes at home as they are cared for by farmers in the field, to ensure that no spud is wasted.

Shot over 12 months, it takes the viewer on an educational journey, from seed to fork, kicking off with spring planting at one of the Perthshire farms growing for Bartlett, though to autumn harvest and transportation to the factory, and despatch to stores.

Head of Marketing, Michael Jarvis, said: “The nation loves potatoes, that much is obvious, but not a lot of people truly understand the love, care and time involved in growing them. We created the footage to educate consumers on the process from start to finish – from seed to fork. In turn, we hope this will encourage people to take better care of their potatoes to help reduce waste. To you it may just be a potato but to us it’s a labour of love. We really hope our film captures that!”