M A Y / J U N E 2 0 1 7 POTATO GROWER 7 meal for potato consumption, how- ever lunch and snack occasions are steadily experiencing growth. • Over 50% of consumers rated potatoes as being excellent as a good side dish and for being fresh. • Potatoes remain the favorite side dish at dinner, though pasta made significant advances, up 13%. Variety is the spice of life • The top three potato preparation methods are mashed (40%), fried (38%) and baked (35%). • Chips are an important part of all four meal occasions – lunch, dinner, snacks and surprisingly breakfast. Chips add significantly to the over- all share of potato consumption. • Other cooking preparation meth- ods showed increases and included potato salad, roasted, stews and soups. • Compared to 2016, respondents indicate using convenient potato forms more frequently with boxed/instant up 5%, refrigerated potatoes up 3% and frozen potatoes up 2%. • Standard fresh potato variety usage remained stable, while spe- cialty varieties like petite, fingerling and purple potatoes saw increases over the last year. Consumers love potatoes, but there’s still room to increase potato consumption. Consumers are seek- ing inspiration and convenience. Potatoes are on the table for more meal occasions throughout the day and are replacing other vegetables, proteins and carbohydrates. Understanding the consumer is the best way to know how to market potatoes and ultimately increase sales. For a copy of the complete 2017 Attitude and Usage Research please contact [email protected]. Hammer-Lok Steel Building Systems | 44434 Harvest Ave. • Perham, MN 56573 | 1-844-203-4565 | www.hammer-lok.com Full service Design Build General Contractor for all your produce storage needs.