US: Red and yellow potatoes see greater than expected availability

Supplies on all potato varieties remain good from all US growing regions. Red and yellow varieties have plenty of supplies in storage as the new crop has started in Florida.

"Russet potatoes in Colorado are still in good supply and we expect to have supplies through July," said Les Alderete of Colorado-based Skyline Potato. "Reds will still be available until May/June and yellows until April. We're seeing those having a little more availability as new crops start. There will be fingerlings and organic varieties remaining, with normal availability on those. We are also seeing the Florida spring potato crop beginning to enter the market."

With an additional amount of red potatoes available in storage and in the new crop, it's expected these will be pushed in ad campaigns for upcoming Holidays. Russets on the other hand, are seeing good movement in the context of the various seasons and therefore customers can expect to see less promotions on these.

"We're going to see ads for reds in the lead up to St. Patrick's Day as well as Easter," Alderete said. "The focus is on reds because there is more supply on those and suppliers are looking to move some volume. Russets feel a little short right now and so we don't expect to see any big promotions on those."

Alderete also noted that prices this season have been higher than the last couple of years. "Prices peaked in December," he said. "In general, demand has been a little off for the whole season but prices have stayed strong. They are expected to hold now for the foreseeable future."

"Acreage for red and yellow potatoes has been increasing in the last couple of years," Alderete continued. "However, yellows have simply offset decreases on the whites, rather than increase demand across the whole category. They're still a long way off on Russets, which still have around 75% of the total volume."

Another trend seen in the market is the continued shift towards smaller pack sizes. This extends down from wholesale to large chains to smaller stores, with each moving to relatively smaller sizes. 

"In terms of packaging, there's a clear shift to smaller sizes," Alderete observed. "We're seeing less of the 10lb packs and more of the 5lbs. Each store is scaling down, so club stores still carry heavier packs. Retail chains are now moving to more 5lbs instead of 10lb, and smaller stores that traditionally carried 5lb are moving to 3lb, especially in the organic market."

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Les Alderete