The best thinkpiece about millennials and potatoes

Who isn’t thinking about millennials? The Pew Research Center is thinking about millennials. So is CBS News. And people with assistants in Hollywood. The White House. Left-leaning political magazines.

And, of course, the United States Potato Board.

“To stay relevant and increase demand for potatoes,” the Board wrote, “it will be critical to understand Millennials and how potatoes fit into their lives—now and in the future.”

Luckily, the people charged with making sure everyone eats more potatoes forever, even in our bold Internet-connected era of disruptive change, have good news for potato farmers.

After reciting the litany of research about how millennials just love cooking and are so different from those who preceded them, their early work shows that the more things change, the more potatoes stay the same.

“When it comes to potatoes, though, Millennials are not significantly different from the rest of the population,” we read. “Potatoes are primarily consumed for dinner at home as the main component of a side dish. Mashed, baked and French fries are the top three potato preparations. When preparing potatoes at home, 73 percent are using fresh, and of those, 51 percent are using russet. According to previous USPB studies, this is right in line with what older generations are doing.”

The takeaway for American potato growers and distributors is clear: “In fact, potatoes rate highest on what’s most important to Millennials.”

Potatoes are always relevant, and—perhaps you had not noticed this—they fit into our hands as comfortably as any smartphone, and some people might even say more comfortably than a phablet.