Jul 30, 2019Potato sales in retail: Breaking down the fourth quarter
Total retail sales of potatoes rose 2.6% year over year during the fourth quarter to $2.973 billion, according to statistics from IRI Freshlook and released by Potatoes USA. Total pounds sold were up a similar amount (2.7%), although the average price per pound dipped by $.01 to $1.76.
Total retail sales include:
- Potato chips — $1.548 billion, up 1.6%
- Fresh — $681.7 million, up 2.8%
- Frozen — $395.2 million, up 5.0%
- Refrigerated — $132.3 million, up 9.9%
- Dehy — $110.3 million, up 6.2%
- Deli Prepared Sides — $96.0 million, down 5.4%
- Canned — $9.9 million, up 2.0%
Price per pound:
- Potato Chips — $4.70, up 1.2%
- Dehy — $3.52, up 2.2%
- Deli Prepared Sides — $3.38, down 0.1%
- Refrigerated — $2.31, up 0.5%
- Frozen — $1.33, down 1.0%
- Canned — $0.87, up 3.3%
- Fresh — $0.73, up 0.4%
Inside the fresh market
With $681.7 million in sales and 908.5 million pounds sold, the fresh potato retail market saw increases of 2.8% and 2.4%, respectively. Medleys, whites and yellows saw the largest jumps in pounds sold. See below.
Total pounds sold:
- Russets — 592.1 million, up 1.5%
- Reds — 151.6 million, down 7.5%
- Yellows — 100.7 million, up 6.9%
- Whites — 56.2 million, up 15.5%
- Medleys — 11.0 million, up 24.5%
- Fingerlings — 2.3 million, down 0.2%
- Purples/blues — 603,443, down 5.2%
- Others — 15.5 million, up 136.6%
Yellows sold at an average of $1.09 per pound, up 7.2%. The only other category that saw an average price increase was red at 4.1%, although reds also saw the largest decrease in amount sold.
Price per pound:
- Russets — $0.58, down 0.5%
- Reds — $0.95, up 4.1%
- Yellows — $1.09, up 7.2%
- Whites — $0.75, down 5.7%
- Medleys — $2.00, down 6.5%
- Fingerlings — $2.19, down 3.0%
- Purples/blues — $2.14, down 4.3%
- Others — $0.97, down 57.2%
Bagged potatoes still represent the lion’s share of the fresh market, as 788.5 of the 908.5 million sold were in bags. That was a 3.2% increase.
Five-pound bags were the most popular with 432.4 pounds sold, an increase of 3.7%.
Potatoes in trays, although still only a minor category, saw a 7.7% increase in sales to $10.6 million and a 33.6% increase in pounds sold to 6 million. The average price per pound dropped nearly 20%, however, as the growing market continues to correct itself.
Marketing year end
Total retail sales for potatoes and potato products the 2018-19 marketing year (July 1, 2018 through June 30, 2019) was $11.764 billion, a 2% increase from the previous year. The average price per pound increased by 3% to $1.69.
