Weak traffic, more side choices cut into US French-fry sales

Americans have been in love with French fries since fast food restaurants first made them popular in the 1950s. But while many nutrition-minded observers have called into question the healthfulness of French fries over the years, little has dulled consumers’ taste for the fried spud strips—until now.

According to The NPD Group, servings of the popular fried potato side have been declining since 2006 and took a huge dive this year. There were slightly less than 2 billion servings of French fries sold at restaurants in the year ended in February, compared with nearly 2.1 billion a year earlier, according to Port Washington, N.Y.-based NPD. While weak industry traffic is contributing to the decline, greater availability of other side options, a desire for more healthful choices and demand for better value are among the major factors contributing to the slippage in servings, officials of the market research firm say.

French fry performance has lagged behind industry traffic for the fifth consecutive quarter, NPD found. In the first quarter of 2008, servings of French fries were down 7 percent, after declining 1 percent a year earlier.