In the July 2020 – June 2021 Marketing Year (MY), US consumers bought an additional total of 261,722.7 tons of potatoes than before the pandemic (July 2018 – June 2019 MY), Side Delights’ shared industry data shows also that retail sales of fresh potatoes alone totaled USD3.1bn.
These statistics validate the continued demand for potatoes in the US, which holds their position as the leading vegetable and top side meal in the country.
Because many consumers still choose to stay home for meals, this can be translated as grounds for a continuing climb in US potato demand.
A recently released COVID-19 impact report shows that the primary reason some shoppers stay home was not SARS-Cov-2. The leading drivers are cost (50%) and comfort (40%), with “it costs less” leading in most age groups and by individual states.
“We are excited that shoppers continue to choose potatoes as the number one vegetable,” noted Kathleen Triou, president and CEO of Fresh Solutions Network, cited by The Packer.
The same data confirms that packaged potatoes such as microwaveable and single wrapped products increased in dollars and volume over the past 12 months.
Specific types of potatoes drove performance over the same period, with a yellow, petite, medley, and fingerling potatoes increasing in both sales and volume over 2020 – presenting retailers with an incremental purchase opportunity.
If the customers have potatoes on their shopping list (frequently, since 74% of them report eating potatoes weekly), stores can invite them to try these varietals again to increase basket size and expand their dinner options.
