How do potatoes fit in with millennials?

The U.S. Potato Board is studying millennials, young adults between 18 and 30, and how they view potatoes. It’s part of their latest marketing push to get young people to eat more spuds.

The research shows that about a third of millennials are worried about time constraints around dinner time, but nearly that many still cook from scratch.

So they want to determine how to market potatoes to fit that need.

“Finding recipes to be a little more on trend with millennials, trying to speed up the cooking process by adding a little excitement and innovation to it,” said Chris Wada, director of marketing and exports at Wada Farms.

Over a third of millennials responded that potatoes are a good value for the money, but many young people still don’t eat as many potatoes as their parents.

“Potatoes have larger servings, even if you have a small potato. Millennials are maybe only serving one or two people. On the other side, there is the whole health aspect of it,” said Steve Elfering, vice president of operations for Potandon Produce.

“Health has always been a concern, but potatoes are a great source of potassium, more than a banana, and it’s half your daily vitamin C,” said Wada.

Overall, 88 percent of millennials ranked potatoes as “excellent” or “good” for something everyone would enjoy.

Once the U.S. Potato Board completes its research, the new campaign could begin, perhaps as early as this spring.