Global introductions of food and beverage products that use sweet potato as an ingredient, flavor or more have increased by a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 21 percent from 2015 to 2018, according to data from Innova Market Insights. The news comes on the heels of the US Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Census of Agriculture which revealed that the amount of acreage devoted to sweet potatoes expanded by approximately 38 percent in the US from 2012 to 2017 – far and away from the most significant increase for any vegetable crop measured by the USDA.

The rise of the sweet potato reflects a major shift in global diet and nutritional preferences with consumers embracing “healthy swaps” that replac foods like white potatoes with healthier alternatives. Sweet potatoes offer significantly higher levels of vitamins A and C than white potatoes, are rich in beta-carotene, have slightly more fiber and a lower glycemic index.

Robust new product growth
In this space, the baby meals category accounted for 14 percent of new sweet potato launches over the 2015 to 2018 period, the highest share for any category measured, according to Innova Market Insights. Launch growth was especially robust in five additional categories, each racking up CAGR gains of 25 percent or more over the period: cakes, pastries and sweet goods, vegetables, ready meals, cassava and other root-based snacks and gummies/jellies.

“A confectionery category like gummies or jellies seems like an odd place for sweet potato, but that is an indication of how sweet potato is catching on as a natural, clean label food coloring,” says Tom Vierhile, VP of Strategic Insights North America for Innova Market Insights.

“Sweet potato is increasingly used as a base ingredient for natural red color alternatives to carmine, a food coloring derived from insects,” explains Vierhile. “Food makers that use carmine cannot label their products as ‘vegan,’ an increasingly attractive designation for consumers seeking to reduce or eliminate animal-based products in the diet. This is helping sweet potato gain traction in food ingredients like food colors,” he says.

“The sweet potato still has considerable upsides, especially in categories such as soups, snacks and ready meals,” Vierhile tells FoodIngredientsFirst. In recent years, consumers have become more familiar with the concept of “hero” ingredients such as superfoods and superfruits, he notes. 

“The sweet potato certainly fits in well with this concept and is an easy health upgrade over carbohydrate-heavy and nutrient lacking alternatives. Sweet potato is also benefiting from the consumer tendency to associate colorful foods with enhanced health properties,” adds Vierhile.

Sweet potato is becoming a more common addition to foodservice offerings and this is just one factor that is helping to drive consumer awareness. The “healthy swaps” concept is also gaining traction and this is a tailwind behind sweet potato innovation. 

“Consumers are becoming more discriminating as to wher their nutrients are coming from. Whole food sources, such as the sweet potato, are seen as a more efficient source of nutrients than other sources,” he explains. 

A broad swath of innovation
NPD showcasing sweet potatoes include Birds Eye Sweet Potato Waffles, a recent UK launch hailed as a “trendy twist on a family favorite” that can be heated in a toaster. Sweet potato has proven to have a sweet tooth in markets like Japan and South Korea wher its  in new products like Haagen-Dazs Mini Cup Sweet Potato Tart Ice Cream and Lotte Custard Cake with Sweet Potato Cream Filling.Lantana Limited Edition Sweet Potato Hummus

Sweet potato is also enhancing the perceived health value of foods already viewed as healthful. That’s the case with Lantana Limited Edition Sweet Potato Hummus (pictured), a US launch for the autumn. 

Innovation in plant breeding is also setting the stage for broader penetration of sweet potatoes.

Cultivation of sweet potatoes has traditionally been limited to humid subtropical to tropical climates, the former in US states like North Carolina and Louisiana which provide the 120 to 150 days to maturity that sweet potatoes require. But even that is changing, with the potential to broaden the global footprint of sweet potato.

Moreover, Canadian researchers recently announced the availability of a new variety of sweet potato called Radiance that matures in just 100 days – fast enough to harvest in the Niagara Region of the country. Assuming Radiance and other faster-maturing sweet potato varieties like it catch on, the sweet potato story seems destined to add additional chapters in more temperate regions around the globe.