EEUU: Small potatoes mean big opportunity, industry leader says

Consumers are looking for potatoes that cook fast and are more nutritious, Chris Voigt said. “The good news is, we actually have that.”

Baby, or immature, potatoes cook quickly because they’re small. They also contain more vitamins, minerals and antioxidants, Voigt said.

So far, pint-size potatoes are catching on with shoppers. Sales of the smaller spuds are growing faster than of other potato products, he said.

Baby potatoes will become important for the fresh market, Voigt said, although they won’t displace full-sized potatoes.

The challenge is making them profitable for farmers while offering them at a price low enough to boost demand. Farmers need to double-crop them — plant them early in the season, harvest them, and then plant another crop to harvest in the fall, he said.

“Ten years ago, immature potatoes were an afterthought,” he said. “Now they’ve grown so popular we are intentionally growing small potatoes.”