by Schmieding Produce
According to research from PaleoLeap, the average weight gain between Thanksgiving and Christmas is 3.5 pounds, but overweight people gain an average of 5 to 10 pounds during this time frame. January is a key month for Americans to lose weight.
“We are extremely excited about the launch of our new 100 Calorie- Skinny potato product next week,” says Scott McDulin- Vice President of Marketing/Retail Sales with Schmieding Produce. During January, everybody wants to focus on health.
“We think the January timeframe is perfect since people are actively looking for diet friendly items to help with nutritional meal planning. The Skinny potato is a 100-calorie potato that offers consumers an opportunity to use smart portion control while keeping potatoes as part of a healthy diet,” mentioned McDulin.
100-calorie products
Supermarkets are filled with 100-calorie packs of yogurt, pretzels, popcorn, snacks, etc. “Nabisco recently launched 100-calorie packs of Oreo’s,” shared McDulin. “It shows that the 100-calorie measurement resonates with today’s consumers so we wanted to add the same portion controlled serving to the potato segment.”
The serving size for this Non GMO potato is 4.8 oz. or 135g which equates to 100-calories. “Since it’s a natural product, not all potatoes will exactly have the same weight, but they will have a tight spec during sorting,” mentioned McDulin. Schmieding Produce sells the premium product in 3 lb. bags, offering approximately 10-12 potatoes in a bag.
Opportunities in declining Russet market
The development of the 100 Calorie- Skinny potato program is the result of the declining Russet market. “The potato industry is witnessing tremendous growth in the specialty segment with consumers increasingly demanding smaller, convenience-type of packs”, declared McDulin. Larger, 15 lb. bags are declining while growth of 5 lb. and 10 lb. bags is flat. “Breathing life into the Russet potato segment will provide us and the retailer tremendous incremental growth opportunities given the significant size of the overall Russet market. Today, Russets represent 53 percent of overall potato sales dollars. So, we are going to fish where the big fish are.”
Premium product
Since only 8% of potatoes fit this size profile, it will be offered at a premium. Offered in conventional and organic, the suggested retail price of $1.99 per bag for conventional and will be promoted back to $1.49. The suggested retail price of the organic alternative will be $3.49 with a $2.99 ad. It is available in Hy-Vee and other select markets across the nation.