Consumers worried about their weight and new federal packaging regulations are hitting Ontario potato growers.
The overall Ontario crop this year was reasonably good, but some farms were hit by drought.
But potato demand is declining, Victoria Strong told the annual meeting of the Ontario Potato Marketing Board. She is general manager of United Potato Growers of Canada.
She said consumers who are taking pills such as Ozempic to control diabetes and help them lose weight are impacting potato sales.
And the new front-of-the-package labels will include a notice if sodium, saturated fats and sugars are high.
As with Ozempic takers, the immediate impact will be on snacks such as potato chips, but Strong said there has also been spillover into demand for fresh potatoes.
There are a lot of challenges right now, but there are a lot of opportunities, she said. Both the industry and customers are reacting, she said.
For example, in the U.S. packers shifted down to five-pound bags and then went further to three smaller sizes.
She said in Ontario the chip, fresh market and seed potato industries remain robust, but the harvest was large. Buy Canadian sentiment began strong in April, but is waning.
