Older consumers show sweet potato love, Fresh Trends data shows

About one in three consumers say they have purchased sweet potatoes in the last year, The Packer's 2022 Fresh Trends survey reveals.

Behind that overall number, Fresh Trends data shows big variations in the frequency of purchases, depending on demographic variables.

Age is the biggest influence on the frequency of sweet potato purchases, according to Fresh Trends. 

In fact, research shows that 51% of consumers over age 60 said they purchased sweet potatoes in the past year. That compares to only 19% of consumers aged 18 to 29 years old, 26% for 30- to 39-year-old consumers, 31% for the 40-to-49-year old age bracket and 29% for those aged 50 to 59 years.

Conversely, income differences don't appear to translate to marked changes in purchase frequency, according to 2022 Fresh Trends research. Thirty-four percent of those making more than $100,000 said they purchased sweet potatoes in the previous year, down slightly from 35% of consumers making between $50,000 and $100,000, and the same percentage as those making between $25,000 and $50,000, according to Fresh Trends. The lowest income group, making less than $25,000, reported the lowest purchase frequency, at 27%.

Regional swings

At 38%, consumers in the West reported more frequent sweet potato purchases compared with those in the Midwest (29%), South (30%) and Northeast (34%), according to Fresh Trends research numbers.

Fresh Trends data indicated no great differences when it comes to sweet potato purchases and ethnic background, with data showing 34% of white shoppers purchasing sweet potatoes in the previous 12 months, compared with 31% of Black, 25% of Hispanic and 32% of Asian shoppers making sweet potato purchases in the same time period.