Retail scan data from IRI for the July 2018 through June 2019 marketing year reveals that total potato sales increased in dollars by 2% while sales volume declined by 1%.
The decline in total potato sales is due to a 3.3% decline in fresh potato sales, according to a news release. Russet and red potato types are the main contributors to the drop in fresh volume sales, according to statistics cited by Potatoes USA.
The release said conventional fresh potato dollars increased 1.3% while volume decreased 3.2%, according to the release.
Organic fresh potato sales increased by 5.8% in dollars and 1.5% in volume, according to the release.
Russet potatoes decreased in volume by 6%, while red potatoes had a volume decline of 4.2%.
Some larger consumer packs fell in volume but small packs increased, according to the release.
Five-pound, eight-pound, and 10-pound fresh potato pack sizes fell in volume sales, while one to four-pound pack sizes increased in volume sales by 0.2%, according to the release. Pack sizes greater than 10-pound increased in volume sales by 6.8%.
Yellows (up 4.4%), whites (up 8.6%), and medleys (14.2%) increased in volume compared with the previous year.
The retail fresh price per pound increased 4.8% across all pack sizes compared with a year ago.
Contact Kayla Dome at retail@potatoesusa.com for more information about the report.
