Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
seven general potato markets: fresh, frozen, chip,
dehydrated, starch, seed, or other industrial
categories.
and those with unusual shapes such as the ba-
nana fingerling (Naegely, 2002; Olsen
et al
., 2003;
Bond and Richards, 2008).
Fresh
Frozen
The history of potatoes is primarily an account
of fresh, also known as table-stock, varieties.
With the exception of early methods of potato
preservation, such as Incan freeze-drying,
most potatoes were transported, stored, and
purchased fresh (CIP, 2012a). Fresh potatoes
are not cooked, and are sold whole. Minimal
handling occurs to remove field debris and to
sort and package the product for market. Table-
stock potatoes are graded according to size
and type. Once in the grocery stores, fresh po-
tatoes are frequently organized by variety and
package.
Bulk potatoes can be sold loose and purcha-
sed on a price per unit of measurement basis. Poly-
bags, containing varying amounts of potatoes, are
an economical way to buy larger quantities. Spe-
cialty packaging, such as clear plastic clamshells,
re-sellable bags, and polybags, add value and are
typically used for premium and specialty varieties
including creamers, fingerlings, and petites.
On average, the American consumer buys
16.47 kg of fresh potatoes annually, with Russet
varieties comprising the largest portion of table-
stock sales (USDA-ERS, 2011). However, sales can
vary significantly by region, and it is believed
non-Russet varieties comprise a sizeable share of
display space in many supermarkets, particularly
in the South and Mid-Atlantic and New England
regions of the country (Bond and Richards, 2008).
In most regions of the USA, Russet potato
sales remain higher than any other potato var-
iety; however, collectively, sales of non-Russet
varieties are similar to Russet sales in several re-
gions, and represent a significant segment of the
potato market across the USA (Bond and Rich-
ards, 2008). In fact, consumers in the New Eng-
land and South Atlantic regions exhibit strong
demand for red, white, and yellow potatoes,
which drives the percentage of total non-Russet
volume and dollar sales above those of the com-
modity potato (Bond and Richards, 2008). Con-
sumer acceptance of specialty potatoes has been
increasing for several years, with heightened de-
mand for yellow flesh, red or purple skin varieties,
Today, most of the frozen potatoes sold around
the globe are French fry-style products that
begin with fresh potatoes, which are peeled,
sliced, blanched, air-dried, and partially fried,
before being blast frozen and packaged for ship-
ment (McCain Foods, 2013). French fry-style
frozen potatoes are distributed primarily to res-
taurants, where they are fried again before being
served to customers (McCain Foods, 2013).
The origins of sliced and deep-fried potatoes
are open to debate, with Belgium and France
both claiming to have popularized the dish. In
the USA, the invention of the mechanical potato
peeler in the 1920s helped make French fries
(and potato chips/crisps) more widely available
and among the most popular snacks in the na-
tion (Panati, 1989). Quick-serve restaurants
(QSR), such as McDonald's, catalyzed the popu-
larity of French fries by making them a staple on
the menu of their rapidly expanding franchise
restaurants (Makki and Plummer, 2005).
The global popularity of Western-style diets,
which prominently feature fast foods like French
fries, has increased both global consumption
and production (Makki and Plummer, 2005).
Therefore, growth in demand for French fries is
correlated strongly with the expansion of fast
food and QSRs around the globe (Makki and
Plummer, 2005). For years, expansion of the
QSR sector in the USA, the EU, and other West-
ern markets supported sales growth; however,
growth in domestic frozen potato consump-
tion has recently declined as the QSR mar-
ket matures in developed countries (Makki and
Plummer, 2005).
While per capita consumption slackened in
some Western markets, frozen potato produc-
tion has risen in Canada and the USA. Available
data from the US Department of Agricul-
ture-Foreign Agricultural Service (USDA-FAS,
2013) indicates production in Canada increased
by 69% between 1996/
97
and 2006/
07.
During
the same period, the USA and the Netherlands
experienced modest production growth of 13.6%
and 6.6%, respectively, while Japanese production
