Dive Brief:
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February is a slower-than-average month for potatoes and produce in general, so potato promotions groups are working now to earn a healthy bite of the market in mid-winter and at other times, too, according to a Grocery Headquarters article.
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Further upstream, product developers are helping bring new potato varietals to market that are more resistant to bruising and “greening,” an effect caused by prolonged exposure to stores' bright lights.
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New packaging is also being introduced to keep up with consumer demands – such as for single-size servings and ready-to-microwave spuds.
Dive Insight:
Like other crops, potatoes have issues: growing, harvesting, packing, distributing, selling and spoilage issues. The stars of the potato-selling field — and there are more than a few of them — often find unique solutions to difficulties they encounter or anticipate.
The solutions are as diverse as the problems. Black Gold Farms grows red spuds in six states, which ensures a year-round supply for customers and sees some company-owned fields enjoying good growing conditions while others aren't. (In addition to their home state of North Dakota, they grow in Michigan, Indiana, Missouri, North Carolina and Maryland.)
Like a number of other companies, Black Gold also recently introduced a new packaging concept – a 3-pound boil-in-the-bag item — that makes potato-preparation about as easy as it could be.
Green potatoes, on the other hand, are often seen by consumers as hazardous or poisonous. They could contain some substances that make consumers feel sick, but are mostly plagued with an image problem. Special packaging or lights — as well as a public information campaign about potatoes — could help curb this issue.
Potato growers and the trade groups serving them are not unique in attacking product-specific issues. More focus on potatoes could also help increase consumption. According to Statista, the average American consumed 32.2 pounds of potatoes in 2014 — down from 45.3 pounds in 2000.