Holiday potato sales drop slightly

News was mixed for the U.S. potato market over the holiday season.

Potatoes USA, formerly the US Potato Board, said the value of total store potato sales increased by 1.5% during the second quarter of the marketing year compared to the year before. The second quarter ran from October through December and included all holiday sales.

Volume was down by -1.8%. Frozen potatoes saw the largest gains. Fresh potatoes led the volume decline as total store potato sales fell -4.3% from the previous year.

According to the marketing group, fresh sale volume was down, mostly due to a -7.3% decline in russets, which make up 66.7% of the total volume.