DENVER, CO - Mashed, baked, sautéed, fried—we’ll take our potatoes any which way! Potatoes USA recently gave us a closer look into the booming sector with a deep dive into the category’s impressive retail performance. Closing out a strong quarter, United States retail dollar sales increased 16.8 percent from July 2022 to June 2023.
According to the release, dollar sales reached their highest in five years, eclipsing $16.9 billion for the 52-week period. While volume sales were down for the year (-2.6 percent) and the quarter (-3.3 percent), they remained 2.5 percent above pre-pandemic levels.
The average price of potatoes for the year was $2.36/pound, a full-year increase of 19.9 percent. The April through June 2023 time frame showed similar results, with a price increase of 18.3 percent compared to the same period last year, and an average price of $2.56/pound.
As the release went on to note, all categories of potatoes increased in dollar sales for both the year and the quarter, including:
- Fresh: 16.5 percent (year) and 12.4 percent (quarter)
- Frozen: 34.8 percent (year) and 39.3 percent (quarter)
- Canned: 19.1 percent (year) and 33.9 percent (quarter)
In the fresh potato segment, the average sales price for the 52-week period was $1.01/pound, a 19.8 percent increase from the previous year. Fresh dollar sales increased for all types except white, Fingerling, and purple potatoes; yellow potatoes were the only member of the fresh category to grow in dollar (21.4 percent) and volume (7.0 percent) sales.
A standout variety, Russet potatoes had the biggest year-over-year price increase in the fresh category, rising 27.7 percent, though they still have an average sale price under $1.00/pound ($0.83). Russets—which make up 62 percent of all volume sales for the fresh category—saw dollar sales increase by 23.5 percent and volume decline by 3.3 percent for the year.
Diving into packaging, the organization also noted that all pack sizes except packages larger than 10 pounds saw an increase in dollar sales year-over-year.
To dig further into these category stats, click here.
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