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

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • August 20, 2026

Yes. Roughly 65% of Maine potatoes end up in processed foods, such as french fries, potato chips, dehydrated potato products and canned products. Maine harvested about 1.74 billion pounds of potatoes in 2025, worth $257.3 million. 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.