In brief
After an unexpected bumper harvest, a farm in Saxony, Germany, is giving away millions of potatoes for free to prevent waste. This initiative, dubbed 'the great potato rescue,' has seen thousands of residents flocking to pickup spots in Berlin, although it has drawn criticism from local farmers wary of its market impact. The effort aims to raise awareness about food value while supporting food banks and community organizations.
A vast stockpile of potatoes is being given away for free by a farm in the German state of Saxony, after a bumper national harvest.
Thousands of tasty tubers have been rolling into the country's capital, Berlin, since mid-January, with residents risking icy streets to bag their share.
Dubbed the great potato rescue, it is part of a plan to stop about 4 million kg (8.8 million lb) of surplus spuds from going to ruin. Food banks, schools, and churches are among the beneficiaries, according to organizers.
However, the enterprise has been labeled a disgusting PR stunt by the Brandenburg Farmers' Association, which lamented the impact on local markets.
Germany is the European Union's potato-producing capital, and last year's harvest has left the market saturated.
Ultimately it is about putting the potato in the spotlight as a valuable food, said Berliner Morgenpost editor, Peter Schink, who helped spearhead the plan.
The newspaper teamed up with eco-friendly search engine firm, Ecosia, to co-ordinate and fund the distribution of the spuds.
Not wishing to discard its magnificent tubers back into the fields, Osterland Agrar says it's set to have bussed around 500,000kg to Berlin and other parts of Germany and Ukraine.
We can store them until the middle of this year, said Hans-Joachim von Massow, Managing Director of Osterland Agrar, the agricultural firm that ended up with all the potatoes after a customer contract was canceled and settled.
But not everyone is celebrating.
Food is and will remain valuable, even if thoughtless do-gooders throw around free potatoes at schools and churches, said Timo Scheib from the Brandenburg Farmers' Association.
In Berlin, a special website lists 174 spud-hubs in and around the capital.
The BBC skidded optimistically along to a pickup spot at the city's de-commissioned airfield, Tempelhofer Feld, but there were no veggie sacks to be seen.
And when we sheepishly asked a local resident about whether she'd noticed any frei Kartoffeln in the area she seemed slightly mystified, if not a little concerned for me.
Nevertheless, as potatoes took off out of Saxony, so has the story, receiving media coverage in Germany and beyond.
This is a country, after all, that has a well-known gastronomic passion for potatoes.
However, we are told by Schink that the influx is, as things stand, set to wind down in Berlin as the funding is drying up.
One more truckload can be expected once the weather is warm enough.
