A new consumer research divulged that Australians are willing to pay more for loose washed and organic loose potatoes.

Australian Food News reported that consumer research organization Colmar Brunton conducted "The Potato Tracker" report and found out that young shoppers aged between 25 to 34 were the most willing to spend more money on potatoes.

Vegetable industry representative body AUSVEG claimed that farmers could benefit if a price rise was passed down.

"While we know that consumers are willing to pay more for products that are of a higher value, it is encouraging that the industry now knows exactly which potato products the consumer thinks are worth more," Alexander Miller, AUSVEG spokesperson, said. "It is promising to see that the value of the industry could be increased by matching potato prices with that of their market value, which could potentially benefit growers if this is reflected in higher farm-gate prices," he continued.

Colmar Brunton also learned that potatoes were the most paid for vegetable across the research period attributable to the vegetable's taste, versatility and ease of use.

"The huge variety of delicious cooking techniques is a large trigger for potato purchases," Alexander said. "While mashing, roasting and boiling are the most popular methods of preparation, potatoes are also regularly served alongside carrots, pumpkin and broccoli as a tasty accompaniment," he added.

Horticulture Innovation Australia funded "The Potato Tracker Survey" using the National Fresh Potato Levy and funds from the Australian Federal Government.

To recall, AUSVEG has released data showing that Australians are still managing to eat more fresh vegetables despite the fact that they might be doing a weekly grocery shop earlier this month.

"Research has found that 80 per cent of Australians buy vegetables more than once a week, and nearly two thirds of all Australians go grocery shopping more than twice a week," AUSVEG spokesperson Kurt Herman said. "Most Australians don't have one big weekly grocery shop - instead they're increasingly treating supermarkets as extensions of their fridges, only buying enough fresh produce for the next couple of meals to avoid wastage or buying too much for their needs."