P.E.I. potatoes polish image with new Spudtastic contest

The PEI Potato Board has launched a contest to fly a Canadian family to the Island for some potato-related adventures this summer.

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In just eight days since the board's Spudtastic Sweestakes launched, it already has close to 20,000 entries from across Canada.

"It's been huge. We're so excited to see the response," said Kendra Mills, marketing director for the PEI Potato Board.

The prize is for a family of four and includes hotels and transportation and a host of Fall Flavours events and meals. The winner will be drawn randomly from all entries when the contest closes at the end of February.

It's the first time the board has held a contest this big on its own, but officials felt the timing was good, especially since potatoes remain fairly inexpensive next to many other vegetables such as cauliflower.

"It's a great way for us to highlight potatoes," said Mills. "Potatoes are of extremely good value and affordability, a great way to feed your family nutritiously on a budget."

Mills characterized P.E.I. potato sales the last few years as good.

P.E.I. potatoes came under close scrutiny this past year as several cases of tampering were reported, forcing many distributors to install metal detection equipment.

The contest can be found on the board's website.