Nearly half of U.S. potatoes now go to frozen foods

The majority of potatoes in the United States are now sold in processed forms such as frozen potato products, potato slices, mashed potatoes, or canned potatoes. With the introduction of fries as an important side dish in quick-service restaurants, the share of potatoes in frozen products has increased every decade since 1979. As a result, nearly half of all potatoes processed into food in the United States are now used to make frozen foods, most of which are french fries. Meanwhile, the share of potatoes used as fresh potatoes for consumption has declined decade after decade. Even the favorable trend in fries has had some bumps along the way. After a peak in the late 1990s and early 2000s, the long-term upward trend in the availability of frozen potato products slowed as many consumers embraced low-carb diets or sought alternative food choices and cuisines. Graph of ERS data product Vegetables and Pulses Yearbook Tables However, in the mid-2010s, the availability of frozen potato ...