The U.S. potato industry has seen its volume do a turnaround over the last year. Potatoes USA says it has been up and down.
“2023 was kind of the tale of two stories. We had a tight crop year a year ago, so we didn’t have quite as many potatoes available. This year, the crop is larger than it was previously, so we have quite a few potatoes to promote. But throughout that all, the demand among consumers for potatoes has remained quite strong. You know, the price of goods is obviously higher than it’s been before. As it relates to potatoes, it’s still one of the more affordable products that’s available to them, particularly in the produce department. Yes, there have been price increases for consumers, but there’ve been prices increases for all products that are out there,” said Potatoes USA Chief Marketing Officer, Kim Brashears.
Brashears says consumers have learned a lot about potatoes in recent years, and they are working to make sure the younger generations stay informed. Just recently, Potatoes USA announced they will be using artificial intelligence to scour the web for misinformation about the product.