Results for the third calendar quarter of 2008 from the NPD Group's syndicated service PotatoTrac are now available from the United States Potato Board research program by contacting USPB president and CEO Tim O'Connor at 303-369-7783 or toconnor@uspotatoes.com.
PotatoTrac is a cooperative, wholesale, foodservice measurement service providing SKU level data for all frozen potato shipments from the four major frozen potato processors-Cavendish, Conagra (Lamb-Weston), McCain, and Simplot-to all U.S. foodservice customers, as well as foodservice exports from the U.S. to foreign countries.
The data collected is categorized, and combined totals are played back to all PotatoTrac clients-believed to be limited to those four processors and the USPB.
While the PotatoTrac figures do not account for 100 percent of the frozen potato products sold to U.S. foodservice distributors and operators, they account for an estimated 93 percent of the total by the participants.
THIRD QUARTER 2008
Total dollars were up 12.9 percent, with domestic sales up 10.5 percent and export sales up 30.1 percent.
Total pounds were up 3.1 percent, driven largely by export sales up 20.8 percent while domestic sales were up 0.4 percent.
YTD THIRD QUARTER 2008
Closely following the third quarter pattern with total dollars up 11.4 percent, domestic sales were up 9.6 percent and export sales up 23.9 percent.
Total pounds were up 3.1 percent, with export up 16.1 percent and domestic up 1.1 percent.
PotatoTrac Sales of Frozen Potatoes from 4 Major Processors to Foodservice 2008
| | Q3 | %Chg YAGO | YTD Q3 | %Chg YAGO |
|---|
| Domestic Sales |
Pounds |
1,889.9 |
0.4% |
5,703.3 |
1.1% |
| Dollars |
$911.2 |
10.5% |
$953.4 |
9.6% |
| Export Sales |
Pounds |
355.3 |
20.8% |
992.6 |
16.1% |
| Dollars |
$153.3 |
30.1% |
$421.1 |
23.9% |
| Total Sales |
Pounds |
2,245.2 |
3.1% |
6,695.9 |
3.1% |
| Dollars |
$1,064.5 |
12.9% |
$3,087.3 |
11.4% |