Blair Richardson, CEO of Potatoes USA.

Demand for potatoes is as strong as it’s ever been, the leader of the industry’s national marketing effort says.

“Overall, consumers in the United States are consuming more potatoes than we’ve ever consumed before, we’re importing more potatoes and potato products than we’ve ever imported before, we’re exporting more potatoes than we’ve ever exported before,” said Blair Richardson, CEO of Potatoes USA, the marketing and research organization for the industry.

“The demand for potatoes and potato products is probably as strong as it’s ever been,” Richardson said.

Frozen, refrigerated and dehydrated potato products in grocery stores are the fastest growing segments of the industry.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, consumers turned to potato products in their grocery stores, Richardson said, to the point that those companies that reacted quickly were able to attract new customers at “essentially zero cost.”

Usually, a company selling at retail must promote or market a new product, offering a sale or rebate, Richardson said. Those activities come at a cost.

During COVID, however, consumers were naturally looking for things they could buy without worrying about spoilage, so they would try new items and continued to buy them, he said.

Some companies were able to add new product lines at retail stores without marketing, promotion or sales, Richardson said.

More fresh potatoes are also being consumed, Richardson said.

A lot of foodservice capacity still has not come back online, he said.

Richardson hopes the upward trend is an indicator that consumers realize the nutritional value of the vegetable.

He pointed to several efforts in Congress to reduce the amount of potatoes on school menus.

“There are always people who hate the winning sports team, there’s always the naysayer out there,” he said.

Studies indicate the presence of potatoes on the plate inspires students to eat more of the other vegetables and food on their plates, too, he said.

The industry has done well in investing in “solid, repetitive” nutritional research, which has allowed a more aggressive and proactive approach to marketing, pushing back on outdated or inaccurate opinions about the crop’s healthfulness, he said.

“The potato is not something that’s going to make you fat just sitting on the couch,” he said. “It’s actually a fuel full of energy and nutrients we need to get through our day every day.”

Starch, the byproduct of fry and potato chip production, is also in high demand, he said. Starch is used in baked goods and even plastic-like products, Richardson said. It is the smallest category for the industry.

The overall demand for potatoes presents more opportunity for profitability along the production cycle than has been seen in the past decade, he said.

“I think this industry has the potential to have a nice, strong period over the next five to 10 years,” he said.