Of the American population, 28% claim to eat potatoes once or twice a week, and 22% say they do so several times, weekly, according to a December 2023 nationwide omnibus survey, cited by Potatoes USA.

The majority of consumers ranked dark green vegetables as the healthiest and starchy vegetables as the least healthy when asked to rate vegetable subgroups from most to least beneficial. This is consistent with how consumers view the healthfulness of particular frequently eaten veggies.

“While 60% of Americans report potatoes as being healthy, and 18% say they are very healthy, potatoes rank at the bottom of 10 commonly consumed vegetables’ perceived healthfulness. Three out of four of the vegetables that consumers reported as being least healthy are in the starchy vegetable subgroup (white potatoes, sweet potatoes, and corn),” the Potatoes USA release reveals.

When customers evaluate white potatoes according to cost, nutrition, and flavor, they do better overall. Of all Americans, over three-quarters (72%) think potatoes offer good value, and 24 percent think they offer very good value. Compared to white Americans, non-white customers are more likely to rate potatoes as having higher value.

Cultural Relevance

Fifty-three percent of consumers say potatoes are the most foundational vegetables to their culture when compared to other commonly consumed vegetables. This finding was consistent across most race/ethnic groups with at least half of white (54%), Hispanic (53%), Black (52%), and Native (50%) Americans citing potatoes as foundational to their family and cultural food traditions.
Skin (Peel) Consumption

Most Americans eat the skin/peel when they prepare potatoes. A full 85% say they consume potatoes with the skin when baked, 76% when roasted, 71% when mashed, and 58% when boiled.

Meeting Street Insights conducted an online nationwide survey among 1,000 adults (aged 18+) between December 15-18, 2023. Respondents were sourced from Dynata’s online general population consumer panel. Standard demographic quotas were set to mirror Census data for region, gender, age, and race; weights were also applied so that education level aligned with Census figures. The credibility interval for a sample of N=1,000 is +/-3.53%. Potatoes USA commissioned the study.