The Jersey Registry Office records births on the island, and since 1997, the office has recorded an average of 170 more babies a year born between January and March--exactly nine months after the Jersey Royal Potato season, which runs April through June.

According to Avril Bete, head of Jersey Royals Marketing, “We've always suspected that there is something special about our potatoes. They are only available for a short time and are known as the champagne of the potato world; they are indulgent, like a rare delicacy. In Jersey, the arrival of the Royals heralds the start of spring. Everyone's mood seems to lift as the harvest progresses, and people have more of a spring in their step. Now we know why.”