Countering lower consumption tops Potato Expo agenda

Buoyed by higher attendance, industry people participating in Potato Expo 2010 heard how they can work to reverse the trends of falling consumption.

Nearly 1,200 participants from all sectors of the industry — fresh, frozen, chip and seed — attended the second year of the expo, held Jan. 4-6. That’s about a third higher than the 900 that participated in last year’s inaugural event, said Hollee Alexander, director of industry communications for the National Potato Council, Washington, D.C., the show’s primary sponsor.  

Tim O’Connor, president and chief executive officer of U.S. Potato Board, Denver, said marketers must expand potatoes’ appeal to consumers beyond families with children at home, the core potato consumer.

O’Connor said one reason fresh consumption has been declining is because two-thirds of consumers’ dinner meals at home involve quick and easy to prepare foods such as pizza and macaroni and cheese that don’t involve potatoes.

“The fresh piece has taken all the hits,” he said. “The nonfresh potato products have taken all the growth because they offer dinner solutions. Our core consumers are families with children at home. The 10-pound bag of russets won’t appeal to the families that don’t have children at home and have money to spend. We have to identify and pursue opportunities differently.”