Vegetable rights campaigners are horrified by plans to turn the potato into a "superfood."
Scientists have discovered that when the humble spud is shocked by blasts of ultrasound, it produces more antioxidants - chemicals that food experts reckon help fight heart disease and cancer.
But the researchers face opposition from campaigners who say that the technique is cruel because it causes the potatoes stress.
Letitia Muesli-Twit, chair of Vegetables Rights Now, said: "I don't think people realise how cruel this technique is. The potatoes get extremely stressed by blasts of ultrasound.
"Our own studies prove that following this treatment, it can take weeks of counselling for a potato to recover. King Edwards are particularly vulnerable - we have records of some being in therapy for several months."
