New Zealand supermarket chain Countdown says that customers in the country prefer potatoes that were grown locally, a new report from Potatoes NZ has revealed.

According to the company’s Business Manager Vegetables, Grant Robison potatoes are a pantry staple, with prices still consumers’ number one consideration. Additionally, the biggest selling potatoes were said to be white washed varieties.

Countdown has over 180 supermarkets throughout New Zealand serving three million customers a week and stocking more than 20,000 product lines. For produce, it has a national buying team of 23 and 20 trainers teaching staff in in-store. 85% of produce is brought directly from growers.

The company also places a big focus on the environment, as research showed that 70% of respondents would stop buying from companies if they were harming the environment.

In response, Countdown has removed 160 tons of plastic through reducing gauges of plastic or removing it completely. It has also removed 70t of cardboard or planned to remove a further 700t in the next 12 months.

In the country, supermarkets dominate fresh potato sales, worth NZD115m. Countdown had a 36% market share, while independents sold 12% of fresh potatoes. In the last 12 months, sales were flat or slightly down, with deflation around 8%.

“Customers are either buying a small bag or a lower cost bag of potatoes,” explained Robinson.

Of the potatoes sold, 24% are loose and 12% brushed, with 21% of sales discounted produce. Sales of red potatoes and only 0.07% and decreasing. Growth categories and value/discount, seasonal gourmet and premium washed.

Customers that buy loose potatoes prefer to shop for all produce loose. These customers tend to be a single person household, or live in an apartment, are environmentally focused and often buy potatoes as part of a planned meal.

Pre-packaged potatoes resonated with budget-conscious customers as these were fixed price. People who had chosen not to purchase potatoes in the last three months did so because they were perceived as less healthy than other vegetables, they were following a specific diet, or growing their own.