North Carolina sweet potatoes are an ideal fresh option for consumers, says commission director

North Carolina sweet potatoes check all the boxes for today’s consumers, says Michelle Grainger, executive director of the North Carolina SweetPotato Commission.

“The North Carolina sweet potato is one of the best values in the supermarket today,” she said. “Not only is it reasonably priced on its own, it’s incredibly priced when you factor in that it is one of the world’s top superfoods, it has tremendous shelf stability [when stored properly], it is incredibly versatile in how it may be prepared ... and it is packed with nutrients — almost any way you may serve it. Not all superfoods can make such a claim.”

Grainger said there are numerous ways that North Carolina sweet potatoes can be promoted at retail.

“It would be ideal for retailers to partner with us in how they promote and educate consumers as to the number of ways a sweet potato can be enjoyed, as well as help ensure that there are sweet potato value-add items in the produce and ready-to-eat sections of their stores,” she said. 

Grainger said the commission welcomes the opportunity to partner more directly with the retail dietitians of retail chains across the nation.

“We have many resources to help them in communicating to their customers just how wonderful North Carolina sweet potatoes are for them and a number of ways [and tools] that they could use to communicate such messages,” she said.

Marketing efforts

The commission’s fiscal year runs from July 1 through June 30, and the group has been engaged in a number of activities, including:

• Supported three virtual cookalongs with North Carolina culinary stars — each highlighting North Carolina sweet potatoes in a number of ways, including two specialty cocktails and three unique dishes including sweet potato salsa, sweet potato curry and a sweet potato puree — using the covington, bonita and purple majesty varieties. These endeavors were fundraisers for the Ripe for Revival Mobile Market programs, Grainger said.
• In October, the commission had a booth at the SIAL Paris food show and shared the special qualities of the North Carolina sweet potato with over 200,000 international guests. The commission’s work was featured in the SIAL Paris digital magazine.
• In November, the commission held its third annual FarmHER event where the group raised more than $12,100 for the Pretty in Pink Foundation. The event was the group’s second live auction. In total, the auctions have raised more than $22,000 for the Pretty in Pink Foundation, which supports uninsured and underinsured patients of breast cancer.
• In connection with its FarmHER event, the commission also held its first Harvest Tour for national writers, editors and registered dietitians, each with unique specialty areas of focus: diabetes, retail grocery, runners/athletes, millennials, community health and beyond. “We showed these incredible professionals 'All Things N.C. Sweetpotatoes' from harvest and packing to shipping of sweet potatoes,” Grainger said. The tour introduced media to growers, top sweet potato breeders at North Carolina State University, sweet potato food scientists and innovators and others.
• For National Sweetpotato Month, the commission launched a change.org petition to formally change the spelling of sweet potato to sweetpotato in the Associated Press Stylebook and all digital dictionaries. “This change follows the science and is meant to further distinguish the sweetpotato from the white Irish potato — as they are not part of the same botanical family and should not be confused as such,” Grainger said.
• In March, the commission sponsored and presented at the Nutrition News Update conference in La Jolla, Calif. The conference is targeted to national food editors, writers and contributing registered dietitians of national health, fitness and lifestyle magazines, both print and digital. 
• Coming in April, the commission will be participating in the USDA trade mission to the Netherlands, as well as sponsoring a student culinary contest as the United Kingdom’s oldest culinary school, Westminster Kingsway Culinary College.
• The commission will hold its statewide restaurant week May 5-14. “We will be challenging restaurants across the state the highlight and elevate the state’s vegetable and will tie it to a large social media campaign that is meant to benefit both the participating restaurants as well as the patrons who support them.”