b'Potatoes Continue To Reign As Americas Favorite Vegetable Jill Rittenberg, Global Marketing Manager of Consumerand Nutrition, Potatoes USATounderstandchangesincon- their food inspiration and prepara-sumersopinionsofpotatoes, tion. PotatoesUSAconductsanannualConsumerAttitudesandUsage How do potatoes fit in Americans(A&U) study. The study tracks U.S. diets?consumersmindsettowardsfood For the fourth year in a row, pota-and dietary choices, as well as over- toes rank as Americas favorite veg-allattitudestowardpotatoes. etable. Given the choice of the 20Resultsfromthe2020studyshow mostpopularvegetables,potatoesconsumerslovepotatoesandare againearnedthehighestrankwillingtoconsumemorepotatoes amongconsumers,followedbywith the right resources and messag- broccoli,tomatoes,sweetpotatoes,ing. and corn. USA PotatoesWhat drives food purchases?Acrossthecountry,73%ofcon-When it comes to what consumers sumersreporteatingpotatoesatlookforinfood,theyareseeking leastonceperweekwithmashedflavor,freshness,foodsthatarea potatoesbeingthemostpopulargood value, foods that are good for preparation, followed by baked andMessagethemandsomethingeveryone fries.Consumersdescribetheirenjoys.Notsurprisingly,potatoes cooking styles as basic, traditional,deliver on many of these attributes, andshortorder,withtraditionalwithconsumersgivingpotatoes cookingnotablyincreasingfromhighmarksforbeingafoodthat last years responses. everyoneenjoys,beingagoodvalue,andfresh.Consumersalso Consumer eating patterns continuerank the potato high for being ver- to evolve, from the diet guidelinessatile, filling, and satisfying. theyfollowtohowtheyeatthroughout the day. Nearly half ofWhencookingathome,77%of all consumers report following spe-Americans say that they tend to use cificdietaryguidelines,withcarbrecipes,showingthatrecipescon- restrictive, low sugar, and low sodi-tinuetobeanimportantpartof um topping the list. And, less than6 POTATO GROWER JULY/AUGUST 2020'