First Take: Sweet Potatoes
Multifaceted, vibrant and delectable—all words that are used to describe the sweet potato category by dietitians and growers alike. In recent years, the joint effort of health advocates, growers, and retailers to promote sweet potatoes and make them readily available year-round has paid off. The attributes have connected with shoppers. Consumers now recognize the health halo surrounding sweet potatoes and understand they can enjoy something that is both nutritious and enticing. Making sweet potatoes accessible throughout the year has played a key role in boosting demand, but so has packaging sweet potatoes in servings to feed families of all sizes and in forms that only require quick and time-efficient preparation to round out a tempting home-cooked meal.
The name is misleading. While sweet in flavor, sweet potatoes are brimming with antioxidants such as beta-carotene and vitamins A and E that all play a part in reducing cell damage, protecting eyesight, decreasing inflammation, boosting immunity and promoting healthy skin. “Like many other fruits and vegetables, sweet potatoes have fiber,” Samantha Snashall, RDN, LD, registered dietitian nutritionist at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, said in media reports. “This includes both soluble and insoluble fiber, which have different benefits for the digestive tract.”
In addition to medication, incorporating nutrient-dense foods like sweet potatoes may help support the management of conditions such as diabetes, cholesterol, and joint pain. “The fiber in sweet potatoes helps support heart health by lowering your LDL (bad) cholesterol,” said Snashall. “This is beneficial for heart health because high LDL cholesterol increases the risk of heart disease. The fiber in sweet potato also helps reduce blood sugar and inflammation, which are both important for the heart’s health. What’s more, as the antioxidants in sweet potatoes reduce oxidative stress, they protect blood vessels that bring blood to and from your heart, further protecting the organ.”
The beginning of the new year is when most people vow to embrace healthier eating habits. Bako Sweet is helping consumers stick to their dietary goals. Coinciding with January and February’s focus on mindful eating and heart health, Bako Sweet’s promotions are spotlighting heart-healthy food to direct consumers’ shopping decisions. The push highlights sweet potatoes’ attributes: rich in fiber and potassium, the vegetable decreases levels of bad cholesterol and boosts healthy blood pressure levels. “Sweet potatoes are a staple in any heart-healthy, anti-inflammatory diet,” said registered dietitian Amy Davis in a press release. “They support cardiovascular health thanks to their fiber, antioxidant, and naturally low-fat content. They are also a great source of potassium, which helps to regulate blood pressure.”
The focus on health and convenience has been pivotal in the speed at which the category has grown throughout the last few years, said Nash Produce’s David Bradley, Director of Business Development. “We like to say it’s a superfood with all the vitamins and the nutrients that sweet potatoes provide,” he previously said.
The credit is due to organizations that bridge connections between growers and retailers. “The North Carolina Sweet Potato Commission does a great job of trying to get that connotation out there on not just being a seasonal food, that it’s an everyday food that consumers can implement into their diet,” Bradley said.
At retail, Bako Sweet’s vivid pink packaging is returning along with its heart-health merchandising displays intended to stand out throughout the store. These displays will draw focus to the American Heart Association’s reassuring Heart-Check mark, helping shoppers immediately suss out products that fit into their wellness goals. “As shoppers continue prioritizing health-forward eating, January and February present a natural opportunity for retailers to spotlight foods that support long-term heart health,” said Susan Noritake, vice president of sales and marketing at Bako Sweet in a press release. “Our pink heart health packaging and merchandising solutions make it easy for shoppers to connect nutrition with inspiration, while giving retailers a powerful tool to drive engagement and incremental sales during this key promotional window.”
To further support retailers, Nash Produce ships year-round and creates value for retailers. “The big thing is we say what we’re going to do,” Bradley said. “We think of all these things for the long-term partnership. By saying what we’re going to do and delivering on that is a big force. We offer quality products and always a pristine product for their consumer base.”
The company also encourages constant communication and wants for retailers to let them know which programs aren’t working. “At the end of the day, we’re here for a long-term partnership,” he said. “We want this to succeed, and we’re going to do everything in our power to help them succeed in the sweet potato category.”
“Retailers have done an excellent job positioning sweet potatoes as a holiday must-have, and we’re providing the tools to help them maintain that momentum throughout the year,” Noritake previously said. “With high-impact displays, targeted category management strategies, and a robust omnichannel approach—including digital ads and social media content—our goal is to keep sweet potatoes top of mind for consumers in every season.”
Recently, some regions reported yield reductions of up to 50 percent due to weather extremes, and growers like Bland Farms are easing retailers’ concerns.
“Every decision reflects a commitment to quality and consistency, supported by insights earned over time and sharpened by forward-thinking execution,” Sloan Lott, Director of Sales at Bland Farms, previously said. “Sand Candy has remained a steady hand. Retailers facing uncertainty in sweet potato supply can count on Sand Candy not only for availability—but for exceptional quality, consistency, and transparency from field to shelf. That kind of reliability is more than a promise—it’s a performance standard.”
