UK spending on potatoes has jumped significantly in the last six years, a study has found, with growth fuelled by premium varieties.
Expenditure is up 20 per cent since 2001, according to market analyst Mintel, with UK consumers buying £855 million worth of fresh potatoes each year.
This amounts to shoppers spending eight times more money on potatoes as they do on pasta and treble the figure they spend on rice, the report claimed.
The growth comes despite the government’s exclusion of potatoes from its 5 A DAY campaign.
UK-grown fresh potatoes are set to prove increasingly popular because of rising environmental concerns, according to Mintel senior market analyst Julie Sloan. “People are becoming increasing aware of food miles, seasonal produce and support for local farmers, and Mintel believes that this trend offers the fresh potato sector the means to resume its fashionable status,” she said.
“With potatoes on our doorstep, there is little doubt that more modern carbohydrate alternatives such as rice and pasta cannot compete with the clear-conscious shopping of buying home-grown potatoes.”
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