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USDA REPORTS HOW POTATOES ARE BEING USED
Dec. 1, 2025
Source: USDA news release
The total annual food supply of potatoes, also known as potato availability, has shifted in quantity and form over the past few decades. In contrast to earlier trends, most potatoes in the United States are now sold in processed forms, such as frozen, chips, dehydrated, and canned instead of fresh. Frozen potato products--most of which are french fries--now account for an average of about 50 percent of potato per capita availability at 58 pounds per person after decades of steady increases.
Average annual per capita availability of all combined potato categories during the last 3 years (2022-2024) was 115 pounds on a fresh farm-weight basis. Compared to the early 2000s, U.S. consumers now have about 20 fewer pounds of potatoes available each year, reflecting both a drop in fresh potato consumption and slowed growth in frozen potato products.
Fresh potato availability remained above 40 pounds per person annually from the 1980s to the mid-2000s but has gradually declined from 46 pounds per person in 2002-2004 to an average of 28 pounds per person in 2022-2024.
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