The No. 15 most popular vegetable with Fresh Trends 2016 respondents, sweet potatoes are far more popular with the oldest age bracket. Forty-one percent of respondents bought sweet potatoes in the past year, but the number jumped to 54% with shoppers age 59 and up.
Also not surprising, sweet potatoes show a strong regional preference. Forty-five percent of respondents in the South bought sweet potatoes, compared to 40% in the Northeast and 38% in both the Midwest and West.
Sweet potato promotions are on the rise, as well. Five years ago, the average number of stores promoting sweet potatoes on ad totaled 2,500 compared to 3,300 stores on ad in the 52 weeks ending 9/30/2016, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Retail Report.
(USDA/Produce Retailer)
Want more? Visit The Packer's Produce Market Guide for merchandising and sourcing information, and the Produce Retailer Flickr page for thousands of display photos from retailers worldwide. (click to view more)
