Sweetpotato consumption keeps rising
Consumers love what sweetpotatoes are giving them, according to USDA statistics.
Sweetpotato retail per capita availability rose from 3.78 pounds in 2000 to 5.71 pounds in 2010 to 6.02 pounds in 2020, according to the USDA. The momentum continued in 2023, according to retail scan data.
Circana retail data for the 52 weeks ending Jan. 28 this year showed sweetpotato sales rose at a healthy clip.
According to the data, total dollar sales for all sweetpotatoes for the period was $647.3 million, up 4.8% compared to the same period last year. Circana reports total sweetpotato volume sales were 518.4 million pounds, up 2.1% over the previous year.
The average price per pound across all sweetpotatoes was $1.25, up 2.7% from last year.
Conventional sweetpotato dollar sales for the period were $561.7 million, up 4.9% compared with the previous year. Organic sweetpotato dollar sales were $85.6 million, up 3.6% compared with the previous year.
The Packer’s Fresh Trends 2024 survey revealed that 34% of consumers reported purchasing sweetpotatoes in the past year.
Higher-income households, households with kids, households in the Northeast and Midwest regions, older age groups (aged 50 and up) and white/Caucasian households tended to report higher rates of purchasing sweetpotatoes, according to the survey.
For example, higher-income households (with an annual income of $100,000 or more) reported a higher rate of purchasing sweetpotatoes at 44.2%, compared to lower-income households (under $25,000 a year) at 17.7%, according to Fresh Trends 2024.
Fresh Trends 2024 data shows the age group with the highest rate of purchasing sweetpotatoes is 50-59 years old at 41.7%. On the other hand, the youngest age group (18-29 years old) has the lowest rate at 23%.
Per capita availability of sweet potatoes:
- 2000 — 3.78 pounds
- 2005 — 4.09 pounds
- 2010 — 5.71 pounds
- 2015 — 6.81 pounds
- 2020 — 6.02 pounds
Source: USDA
