Farm and Ranch Report October 5, 2011 A leading provider of consumer research, Packaged Facts, is projecting sales of frozen convenience foods will grow at a rate of 2.8 percent annually over the next several years and will top 18-billion dollars by 2015.

Triou: “And those are huge numbers and definitely a growing segment of our potato industry that we need to keep our eye on.”

That is Kathleen Triou, Vice President of Domestic Marketing for the U.S. Potato Board. Given that opportunity for growth, Triou says the Potato Board began its efforts to speak directly to frozen food manufacturers at a new seminar last year at the Culinary Institute of America at Greystone California. It also included potato suppliers.

Triou: “We brought the two supplier-user groups together under this forum called “Exploring New Frozen Meal Options with Potatoes” specifically to get the communication lines stronger between these two groups of individuals and also to incentivise (sp) new uses for frozen potato products in frozen meals.”

Triou points to ethnic influences as an opportunity.

Triou: “And where potatoes are concerned, it is like a blank canvas. We can access all those ethnic influences and deliver in a strong way, both in a nutrition perspective and a taste perspective.”

That’s the U.S. Potato Update. Brought to you by the United States Potato Board, maximizing return on grower investment. I’m Bob Hoff for Northwest Aginfo Net.