b'Potatoes, Americas Favorite VegetableKim Breshears, Marketing Program Director,Potatoes USAcreativedeclinedfromthe2018 Potatoperformancebenefitsarestudy by -8 pts and -5 pts respective- being recognized.ly. -Consumersreportedincreasesinthefollowingpotatoattributes,all-79%ofconsumersuserecipes showingstatisticalimprovementswhen making meals at home. from the 2018 study:- Meal patterns continue to change Helpsfuelmeformyeverydaywith 48% of consumers saying they activities, +5 pts.eat three meals a day, the first timethisnumberdippedbelow50%Provides sustained energy, +6 pts.since the study began. Good for athletic performance, +7Understandingtheconsumeris Potatoescontinuetoreignas pts.importanttolearningwhattheir Americas favorite vegetable!motivations are and how to stimu- - For the third year in a row, pota- Usedandapprovedbyathletes,late potato consumption.To under- toes have been ranked as Americas +10 pts.stand changes in consumers opin- favorite vegetable, followed by broc-ions of potatoes, Potatoes USA con- coli, tomatoes and corn.This years WhatwillmakeconsumerseatductsanannualConsumer study showed tomatoes increase in more potatoes?AttitudesandUsage(A&U)study. popularity. -27%sayshortercooktimesandTheA&Utracksconsumersself- ideas for new ways of cooking pota-reported usage of potatoes, current -78%ofconsumersreporteating toeswouldinspirethemtomakebeliefs on health-related topics and potatoesonceaweekathome, themmoreoften,while24%sayoverallattitudestowardpotatoes. while 72% report eating potatoes at they would like ideas for how to pre-The 2019 study revealed many valu- least once a month at foodservice. pare them with healthier nutrition-able insights: als.- At foodservice, potato dishes wereWhats driving food purchases? chosenastwoofthetopthree - So why dont they eat them more-Flavor,freshnessandgoodvalue favorite side dishes. often?38%saytheyalreadyeatarethetopthreeattributescon- enough,while25%continuebesumersthinkareimportantwhen -Consumersgivepotatoeshigh believe they are fattening and 20%choosingfood;remainingconsis- marks for their versatility, being fill- say they are high in calories.tent from the prior year. ing and satisfying.A summary of the research can be-Cookingstylesaredescribedas - They also love potatoes for being a found on PotatoesUSA.com/growersbasic,traditionalandshort-order. goodvalue,somethingeveryone orbycontactingPotatoesUSAConsumerswhodescribedtheir enjoys,andthattheycanbepre- directly.cooking styles as from scratch and pared quickly and easily.6 POTATO GROWER APRIL 2019'