Do two-thirds of Maine potatoes end up in processed foods? | Fact brief

Roughly two-thirds of Maine potatoes end up in processed foods, such as french fries, potato chips, dehydrated potato products and canned products.

A 2023 Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry report says about 65% of potatoes grown in Maine are used in processed foods. The report cites U.S. Department of Agriculture data and the Maine Potato Board.

Maine was the country’s eighth-largest potato grower by volume in 2024, the USDA says.

Maine harvested about 1.74 billion pounds of potatoes in 2025, worth $257.3 million, according to the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service.

Maine’s potato processing capacity expanded this summer with the opening of a Taste of Maine Potato Chip Co. plant in Limestone. The 81,100-square-foot facility uses locally grown potatoes and has an initial capacity to produce 15 million pounds of kettle-cooked chips per year.