2022-2023 is the Highest U.S. Potato Dollar Sales in Five Years

Potato retail dollar sales in the U.S. rose 16.8% from July 2022 to June 2023, capping a solid quarter (April–June 2023) that saw retail dollar sales increase by 14.5% from the same time last year.

The 52-week period had dollar sales of USD16.9bn, which was a five-year high. Despite volume sales for the year and the quarter declining by 2.6% and 3.3%, respectively, they are still 2.5% higher than pre-pandemic levels.

Retail prices for all potatoes climbed by 19.9% over the entire year, but customers can still afford them with an average cost of USD5.20 per kilogram, as shown by the strength of sales. Similar trends were seen for the April to June 2023 quarter, with prices rising 18.3% over the same time last year and an average price of USD5.64/kilo.

All potato categories gained in dollar sales for the year and the quarter, including Frozen: 34.8%/39.3%; Canned: 19.1%/33.9%; and Fresh: 16.5%/12.4%.

“Despite a slight decrease, volume sales for the 52 weeks remain 2.5% higher than pre-pandemic levels. The most significant volume sales declines for the period were instant potatoes (-5.2%) and deli-prepared sides (-3.1%). However, those categories make up just 13% of the total store volume for retail potato sales. Canned potatoes (0.7% of all volume sales) were the only category with a year-over-year dollar and volume increase,” according to a recent PotatoesUSA release.

The average sales price for fresh potatoes for the 52 weeks was USD2.22/kilo, a 19.8% rise over the previous year. Except for white, fingerling, and purple potatoes, fresh dollar sales climbed for all types. Yellow potatoes were the only fresh category member to increase in both money (21.4%) and volume (7.0%) sales.

Russet potatoes, which account for 62% of all volume sales in the fresh category, saw dollar sales rise by 23.5% while volume fell by 3.3%. Russet potatoes saw the greatest year-over-year price increase in the fresh category (27.7%), yet they still sell for less than USD2.20/kilo (USD1.83).

Except for packages weighing more than 4.5 kilograms, all pack sizes witnessed an increase in dollar sales year over year. For the time, all bags weighing 2.2 kilograms or less increased in both dollar and volume sales. Volume sales increased in three pack sizes: 0.45 kilos to less-than-0.9-kilos bags (2.6%), 0.9-1.8-kilos bags (2.4%), and 2.26-kilos bags (2.5%). The 52-week volume sales reductions were greatest in greater-than-10-pound bags (-49.1%) and 8-pound bags (-21.7%).