U.S. retail sales of potatoes remained strong from January to December 2024, as volume sales increased 3.1%, and dollar sales rose 0.7% to $18.2 billion, according to a report from Potatoes USA featuring retailer figures compiled by Circana.
All categories of potatoes increased in volume sales, according to a news release.
While overall volume sales for fresh potatoes increased, dollar sales declined 4.9% and were mixed across categories as consumer prices fell, Potatoes USA said. For example, fingerling dollar sales increased by 11.6%, followed by medley (10.1%) and yellow (5.2%). At the same time, dollar sales of russets decreased 8.8%, along with white (down 10.2%), red (down 9.8%) and purple potatoes (down 9.5%).
Volume sales grew for all fresh potato pack sizes except those greater than 10 pounds, which decreased 26.2% by volume sales and 31.9% by dollar sales. Volume sales of 8-pound pack sizes grew 23.8%; 2- to 4-pound pack sizes grew 6.8%; and 10-pound pack sizes grew 4.6%.
The other two largest categories by volume — chips and frozen — saw volume sales rise along with dollar sales in 2024, the release said.
Chips saw a 2.5% volume sales increase, and dollar sales increased by 2.1% to $8.8 billion. Frozen potatoes saw a 4.5% volume sales increase, and dollar sales increased by 3.18% to $3.3 billion. All other categories, including instant, refrigerated and canned potatoes, as well as deli-prepared sides, increased both volume and dollar sales.
