According to Nielsen, frozen french fry sales at grocery stores increased by 78.6% within a four-week period ending on April 4.
And like other pandemic grocery staples, according to Reuters, the increased french fry demand has caused a shortage in many U.S. supermarkets.
Some say that fries are an ideal pandemic staple, a comfort food that is convenient and has a long-shelf life.
The shortage may also be linked to what Reuters calls "America’s highly specialized and inflexible retail and foodservice supply chain."
Foodservice suppliers are facing challenges when trying to convert huge packages that are meant for restaurant and fast food kitchens into formats that are grocery store friendly.
Reuters explains, "Nondescript foodservice packaging also does not have the ingredient and nutrition labels required by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) or the bar codes needed in grocery checkout lanes."
Major fast-food french fry suppliers have also canceled potato orders, due to lower demand, which has also impacted potato farmers.
Rabobank food analyst JP Frossard said, "It’s a huge challenge. Nobody was prepared. Nobody could imagine that this could happen."