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Market Access/Table-Stock/Chip-Stock/International VIETNAM OPENS UP TO US FRESH POTATOES The Animal Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) of USDA confirms Vietnam has agreed to the import of US fresh potatoes. In February 2009, the National Potato Council (NPC), with the support of the United States Potato Board (USPB), requested APHIS seek access for US fresh potatoes to Vietnam. US industry members met with Vietnamese and USDA officials in Hanoi in April 2009 to further discuss the request. The USPB International Marketing staff helped host Vietnamese officials when they travelled to California in June 2009 and arranged for a visit to potato growing operations in Bakersfield. Since that time, additional information on US potato pests and mitigation efforts have been provided to Vietnam as requested. The International Marketing committee will be initiating a marketing program for US chip-stock potatoes in FY11, starting July 2010. Based on market research conducted by the Committee, there is very strong demand for chipping potatoes and growing demand for fresh table-stock potatoes. For more information on the market or market access agreement please contact John Toaspern at johnt@uspotatoes.com.
Tools for Industry/Domestic Marketing A NO BRAINER: KIDS STILL LOVE POTATO CHIPS! Ah, yes. We are moving kids to yogurt and fresh fruit. But, what’s this: Potato Chips?! CONSUMER PERSPECTIVE
Source: The NPD Group/SnackTrack
Tools for Industry/Domestic Marketing SEA SALES: PAIRING POTATOES WITH SEAFOOD
Hamburgers may be fries’ best friend here in the States, but across the Atlantic, fries are more likely to be paired with fried fish. When it comes to clams, the addition of Source: Perishables Group FreshFacts® Powered by Nielsen
Foodservice/Domestic Marketing MASHED POTATOES ON THE RISE
Mashed potatoes in foodservice operations are up 29% in the past four years. In Q1 2006, the top 350 chain restaurant menus listed 1,749 mashed potato menu items. In Q1 2010, there were 2,256. This is an important and positive trend for potatoes in foodservice. “Participants at the 2009 USPB hosted “Menu Innovations with Potatoes” Culinary Seminar have experimented with a wide variety of mashed potato flavors and ideas,” said Ashley Kleckner, Senior Account Executive—Integrated Marketing, Ketchum Food B2B. “Some of the exciting attendee innovations were: Hoja Santo Mashed Potato Tamale on a bed of mole, mashed potatoes in a pork and potato roulade and Sofrito mashed potato stuffed Anaheim peppers with lime meringue. “One exciting mashed potato item created from the USPB Culinary Seminar is actually a smashed potato dish added by Bugaboo Creek Steak House. Smashed is an idea we discussed at the seminar, it’s a rustic on-trend version of mashed and is described on the restaurant’s web site as: Made fresh with red potatoes, smashed by hand, mixed with butter, and seasoned with white pepper, kosher salt and chives. “Many other foodservice operations report adding more dishes with mashed potato sides to their menu, the classics like original, garlic and white cheddar are still big hits.” From Q1 2006 to Q1 2010, mashed potatoes instances on the top 350 chain restaurant menus Much of the innovation outreach by Ketchum in both commercial and non-commercial trade magazines and websites is influencing chefs, regardless of whether or not they have attended a USPB hosted culinary seminar. “There are a lot of innovative mashed potatoes out there capitalizing on on-trend flavors like the ones we are pitching currently to the media,” Kleckner said. “For example, UC Santa Cruz serves a Meyer lemon mashed potato to their students, and the Green Zebra in Chicago serves up smoked mashed potatoes as part of a brunch dish with poached eggs. “This year we worked with Restaurants & Institutions magazine on a mashed potato article highlighting innovative new trends.” Among the restaurant segments, casual dining menus featured the most mashed potatoes—1,356 in Q1 2010, up from 984 in Q1 2006. What’s driving purchases in these units? “The economy and the appeal of comfort foods make mashed potatoes a particularly appealing option right now,” Kleckner explains. “But they are a perennial favorite because they are so well suited to new flavors and pairings. “As new flavors become popular, mashed potatoes provide an easy-to-produce and easy-to-love canvas; the wasabi trend is a perfect example of a flavor that was added for a while and isn’t as popular anymore. A current example of mashed potato flavor versatility is the chili mashed potatoes at Don Pablo’s Mexican Kitchen, a leading casual dining chain.”
Nutrition Public Relations/Domestic Marketing FOR THE LOVE OF POTATO SALAD…
Quick & Healthy Baked Potato Salad
6.16.10 Baltimore Sun.pdf
Nutrition Advertising Campaign/Domestic Marketing FY11: REACHING MORE “LINDA’S” THAN EVER BEFORE WITH THE “POTATOES…GOODNESS UNEARTHED®” CAMPAIGN Fiscal year 2011 (FY11) will mark the third year of the “Potatoes…Goodness Unearthed®” campaign, and the FY11 advertising plan will reach more “Linda’s” than ever before. In FY11, the USPB will reach 57% of Linda’s with the potato nutrition message at least 5.5 times through print and online advertising. Print advertising will feature the “Peel Back the Truth” campaign in cooking, parenting and health/nutrition books such as Better Homes & Gardens, Family Circle, Cooking Light, Weight Watchers and Prevention. After an overwhelmingly successful test in FY10, online advertising will be expanded in FY11. The Quick & Healthy potato recipes will be featured on www.AllRecipes.com and www.MyRecipes.com, the two largest recipe sites. Online advertising will also appear on www.WeightWatchers.com to highlight the findings from the Weight Management study and enhance the positive nutrition message.
Nutrition Advertising Campaign/Domestic Marketing ONLINE ADVERTISING CAMPAIGN – FULL EIGHT WEEK TEST RESULTS
These results indicate our messages, our creative and our selection of websites are the right combination to generate better than average ROI. They also indicate, by the number of recipe downloads generated, that our Quick & Healthy recipes are motivating to consumers. We cannot track the number of people who downloaded the recipe and then ultimately went to the store to buy the ingredients to prepare that recipe. However, it stands to reason that recipe download/printing leads to increased demand, and, thus, retail sales for potatoes. For any questions on this report, please contact USPB Vice President, Domestic Marketing, Kathleen Triou at 303-873-2312 (direct) / 303-369-7783 (main) / 720-225-0931 (efax) or ktriou@uspotatoes.com. Potato Board Report 4.5 - 5.31.xls
Issues Management/Domestic Marketing POTATOES STAND STRONG IN REVISION OF DIETARY GUIDELINES The final report of the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee (DGAC) was released June 15, 2010. There were no surprises, i.e., the final report followed very closely the draft report that was released back in April. The only negative mentions, with respect to potatoes, centered on potatoes in their fried form (i.e., French fries, hash browns and chips), particularly with respect to their contribution to total fat, saturated fat and sodium intakes of Americans (much of this information is found in the section entitled "The Total Diet").
We have until July 15th to submit written or oral testimony to address any dangling issues in this final report. Please note, while this is the final report from the DGAC, it is not the final Dietary Guidelines (DG). The USDA and Health and Human Services (HHS) will take this final DGAC report and construct the DG from it. Thus, there is still a chance for influence before the final DG is crafted. The USPB will take this final opportunity to let the DGAC (and USDA and HHS) know that the industry is taking steps to develop "healthier" "fried" products (since much of their negative criticism regarding potato products is aimed at the "fried" products which they claim are high in total fat and saturated fat.) For any questions on this report, please contact USPB Vice President, Domestic Marketing, Kathleen Triou at 303-873-2312 (direct) / 303-369-7783 (main) / 720-225-0931 (efax) or ktriou@uspotatoes.com.
US DEHY MAKES RICE SNACKS BETTER!
JAPANESE COMPANIES LEARN HOW TO SAVE TIME AND MONEY WITH US DEHYDRATED POTATOES!! Where Japanese companies are trying to gain a competitive advantage, dehy fits in nicely as the economic climate changes! Fewer people are eating out in Japan, opting instead to shop in delis and supermarkets more. Approximately 50 participants from supermarkets and food manufacturers attended the USPB Dehy Seminar, featuring menu tips to overcome the economic recession. Center stage of this discussion? US Dehydrated potatoes, of course! Chief Editor of Uona cooking magazine and author of books including “Hiroyoshi Hayashi’s Dollar Recipes” and “The Delicatessen Textbook”, Mr. Hayashi presented how dehydrated potatoes could help these organizations with offerings of a high quality, cost effective product. The versatility, along with the other benefits of dehy, was shown through a live demonstration. Immediately following the seminar, participants were able to taste test recipes appropriate for this sector such as:
USPB NOW ACCEPTING NEW APPOINTMENTS FOR RETAIL OUTREACH MEETINGS! The popularity of the USPB’s Retail Outreach program necessitates the Board limit the number of retailer meetings each year. As a result, the USPB has not been able to schedule any new presentations in recent months. However, the USPB has recently decided to expand its commitment to this free service provided to the retail trade, and is now accepting new appointments during the balance of 2010. Interested retailers should contact the USPB to schedule an outreach meeting today, or suppliers may nominate a retailer for Outreach and the Board will follow up to schedule a presentation. These interactive presentations provide retailers with the latest information, tools and offerings available from the USPB, sharing valuable insights that will help grow the fresh potato category. During the meeting, the USPB helps retailers better understand their fresh potato shoppers through findings from proprietary consumer research. Retailers are also provided with a business review which looks at current sales trends and examines their potato sales performance versus competitors’, while also being supplied with information about proven business-building best practices in the areas of assortment, merchandising, promotion and handling. Want to know more? Please contact Don Ladhoff, USPB Retail Program Director, at don.ladhoff@uspotatoes.com, or call 415-215-2448 to schedule a meeting that can help you make “America’s Favorite Vegetable” your most profitable produce category.
DOLE-ING OUT ADVICE: IDEAS FOR INCREASING USAGE OF A KITCHEN STAPLE Though grilling usually conjures up thoughts of meat like hamburgers and steaks, produce is increasingly finding a place above the coals. Products like peppers, onions, brown mushrooms and corn are grill-top regulars. Even seasonal favorites like summer squash, eggplant and asparagus are no strangers to the grill. But what about bananas? Dole® sees no reason bananas can’t become grill staples, so they’re promoting grilled bananas to increase usage during the dinner/evening eating occasion, and even grilled banana desserts. Their new campaign “Go Bananas After Dark™,” which includes traditional channel marketing, as well as event-based marketing, may be extended in a modified form for use in the fall to coincide with football and tailgating season. Simply wrapping a potato in foil, either whole or sliced, is an easy way to grill a delicious side while minimizing grill top clean-up. Some suppliers make preparing spuds in this way even easier, by offering foil-wrapped items that are ready to barbecue. Consider cross-merchandising such as ready-to-grill products displayed in the meat or seafood department. An inviting and effective temporary display can be created by taking a few charcoal grills, removing the grates, and filling them with such ready-to-grill product. A basic recipe is also a great way to encourage more usage on the grill. Try using this simple and delicious recipe for grilled potato dippers as a way to demonstrate to consumers how effortlessly they could be enjoying one of their favorite side items with a summer twist. Or, log in to the USPB Resource Center to find additional grilled potato recipes under the “Healthy Living” tab. As noted in the April State of the Potato Category article, “Consumers’ potato health scores on the rise,” the perception of potatoes as an important part of a well balanced diet is rising. With help from fact-laden signage like this, show consumers how favorably potatoes compare to a breakfast standby like bananas; the “Potatoes…Goodness Unearthed®” signage is a good way to draw in customers with something familiar. Or try featuring a breakfast-ready recipe for egg and potato casserole. Between print and online ads, the USPB will deliver more than 140 million targeted impressions by year-end. With an increasing number of produce items fighting for grill space, a little in-store consumer outreach on the behalf of spuds is a perfect way to start the summer.
MARKET BASKET STUDY CONFIRMS POWER OF POTATOES A study conducted by the USPB and the Perishables Group confirms the importance of fresh potato sales to food retailers1. Using loyalty card data from more than 70,000 households shopping at two prominent retailers, the study looked at their transactions over a nine-month period to understand the implications when fresh potatoes are purchased.
Other highlights from the study:
From this study alone, we cannot determine whether the purchase of potatoes caused a larger shopping trip, or whether the potato purchase was the result of a larger purchase occasion; nonetheless the implications are clear. Retailers seeking to drive up their transaction averages should feature potatoes more prominently in order to attract the shoppers who have “bigger baskets” and are prone to spending more. Even better, those bigger baskets most likely include components for making more meals, and consumers who are shopping with a “meal mindset” can be more susceptible to add-ons and impulse purchases. The USPB will be undertaking another market basket analysis in the months ahead, which will shed additional light on the purchase behaviors of food shoppers, as well as explore the products that are most beneficial when promoting alongside fresh potatoes. When added to the extensive consumer research already being conducted by the USPB, the combined information yields even richer insights into targeted shoppers, which can further increase the retail sales and profitability of this important produce category. Be sure to check out the USPB Resource Center for the latest information and research findings. Source: 1: Pricing CRP Study Results conducted by the Perishables Group using Q2/Q3 and Q4 2008 loyalty card sales data
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©2010 United States Potato Board |
The onset of summer marks grilling season for many people, but for others, the summer means something more specific: seafood season. From a classic fish fry, to a hearty clam bake, to a more sumptuous lobster boil, consumers find plenty of ways to indulge in seafood during the summer months. The perfect seafood dish would not be complete without the proper complements. Potatoes may not be the first side dish that comes to mind when you think about seafood, but the two are no strangers to each other. 
potatoes to the traditional clam bake pot is essential; on top of clams, potatoes and corn are considered the traditional ingredients. Potatoes make the perfect side in this case because they can be steam cooked along with the seafood itself, making for a convenient one-pot meal. And while clams can be enjoyed year-round, they experience peak sales during the summer months. During each of the previous two years, more than 34% of annual clam sales across the total US have come during the third quarter of the year, which encompasses the months of July, August and September. With clam season at its peak during the summer, consider cross-promoting clams with potatoes and corn. The potential boost in sales should help keep everyone “happy as a clam” during the lazy days of summer. 
Summertime just keeps getting better for potatoes! Coverage of the USPB Quick and Healthy Potato Salad media push has gone beyond 8.3 million impressions in the first month. A few notable highlights from last week:
May brought a new product launch to the Korean market. The pancake-type rice cake, “Hotteok” with stuffing, is a traditional snack item, mainly for the winter season, sold through street kiosks. Korea Matsutani, a medium sized food manufacturer, wanted to develop a retail product with softer eating characteristics. They were able to accomplish this by including US dehydrated potatoes into the cake. After having trouble securing supply, Korea Matsutani contacted the USPB for US suppliers. The USPB sent out a trade lead to the US dehy industry for this project in 2009. After securing a supplier, Korea Matsutani launched the product with two stuffing flavors, meat and kimchi, at selected retail stores. These products will soon be available through most major retail stores. 
The study found that total transaction averages were more than TWICE the norm when fresh potatoes were in the basket during Q2-Q3 (212%) and nearly that at 198% of norm during Q4. Basket rings in Q4 are 17% higher than average, meaning the basket size of 198% when potatoes are included is nearly twice the size of an already inflated base without potatoes. Even more impressive, the value of a shopping basket with fresh potatoes exceeded the results generated by either tomatoes or bananas – both of which are considered produce department powerhouses.