ARCHIVES :: APRIL 2002 :: NOTEBOOK

Americans Bag
The Fries

For most of the 1990s, Americans scarfed down more French fries every year. But now, after a decade of skyrocketing growth, consumption of fries is expected to drop almost 1% in the fiscal year ending this June 30, according to the U.S. Agriculture Department.

The result is an all-American French fry glut.

Americans still eat a lot of fries: about 28 pounds per person every year. But consumption has “grown so much for so long it’s getting to the point where [one has to ask] how much more can each person eat?” said Charles Plummer, the USDA’s potato specialist.

The biggest problem is the slowing expansion of the fast-food industry, which sells about 90% of the fries consumed in the U.S. The top 100 companies added only 1% more outlets in 2000 compared with 6.1% in 1996. What’s more, McDonald’s no longer has the most fast-food outlets. Subway Restaurants dethroned it this year, and Subway doesn’t sell French fries.

Another factor is Americans’ fear of fat. “I don’t even eat McDonald’s anymore. I’m trying to get away from fatty food,” says Chandra Brooks, a Washington, D.C., office worker who recently dined on a Subway sandwich. “I’m tired of just the burgers and stuff.”

In addition, fries face more competition these days. Menus dangle alternatives such as stuffed jalapeno peppers or fried mozzarella sticks. The world’s biggest French fry maker, McCain Foods Ltd., is diversifying; last year, it bought the food-service division of Anchor Food Products, which makes items such as breaded mushrooms and olives stuffed with Asiago cheese.

The French fry folks are fighting back, hoping to repeat the success they had in the 1990s with super-sized combo meals that include fries. McCain is selling what it calls “X-Treme” fries with flavors like “Sassy Salt and Vinegar” and “Jalapeno Fire Fries.” Ore-Ida says it will expand its product line to include blue French fries, chocolate fries, and cinnamon-and-sugar potatoes for the breakfast crowd.

Still, the future of fries may not even be the potato. A USDA scientist developed a fry made from a rice flour mixture that absorbs about 30% less oil when it is cooked. The USDA recently patented the “rice fries” and is talking with rice processors about marketing them as a healthy alternative for fry addicts.

—Jill Carroll and Shirley Leung