Potatoes and tubers [1]
Why do we study dietary patterns of the population?
- What we eat and drink has a direct impact on our health and well-being. By studying dietary patterns in the population (What foods are eaten? At what frequency? By whom?), we can identify areas for improvement and make informed decisions to promote better diets. This knowledge helps address the risk of diet-related diseases and supports the development of healthy, sustainable food systems.
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The current page is focused on general consumption of potatoes and tubers. More information on the comparison of the habitual intake of potatoes with dietary guidelines can be found here [2].
How do we study the consumption of potatoes and tubers?
- The consumption of potatoes and tubers was assessed, overall and for different population groups, using data from two non-consecutive 24-hour dietary recalls. Trained interviewers recorded twice, on two non-consecutive days, all the foods and drinks that participants had consumed on the previous day using a specialised computer program (GloboDiet®).
- The mean potato and tuber consumption (in grams per day) was calculated using the average consumption, overall and by its two subcategories – potatoes and tubers –, over the two recall days of each participant. Since mean distributions are skewed, comparison between population subgroups should be interpreted with caution.
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In addition to the 24-hour recalls, participants (or parent in case of children) also completed a Food Frequency Questionnaire: they reported how often they consumed a specific food or food group in the last 12 months. On this page, we present the frequency of potatoes and tubers consumption using the following categories: “Never”, “less than once a week”, “1 time per week”, “2-4 times per week”, “5-6 times per week” and “once a day or more”.
- The detailed methodology can be found here [3].
What is included in the group of “potatoes and tubers”?
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This group is divided into two subcategories:
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Potatoes (boiled, baked, steamed, or mashed) and potato products (purées, wedges, slices, gnocchi, French fries, Rösti, etc.);
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Tubers such as sweet potato, Jerusalem artichoke, cassava, and yam.
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KEY RESULTS
Overall, 37% of the population in Belgium consumes potatoes two to four times per week, with very few individuals never eating potatoes (2%), and 14% eating potatoes every day
The average daily consumption of potatoes and tubers is 62 g per day, the majority of which is potatoes
The mean consumption of potatoes and tubers increases with age, with children consuming an average of 47 g per day, adolescents 53 g per day, young adults (18-39) 59 g per day, middle-aged adults (40-64 years) 62 g per day and older adults (65 year and over) 73 g per day
The mean consumption of potatoes and tubers decreases with increasing education levels, from 67 g per day in people with low education levels, 62 g per day in people with medium education levels, to 50 g per day in people with high education levels
The average daily consumption of potatoes and tubers is slightly lower in Wallonia (57 g per day) than in Flanders (66 g per day)
By sex
Mean consumption of potatoes and tubers (g/day) in the population aged 3 years and older, by sex, Belgium: 2022-2023
- Crude = results weighted for season, age, sex, and socioeconomic status.
- Mean consumption refers to the population mean consumption, calculated from the individual mean consumption over two non-consecutive 24-hour dietary recalls.
- The total average daily consumption of potatoes and tubers is 61 g/day, the majority of which is potatoes (60 g/day).
- Men report a higher consumption of potatoes (69 g/day) than women (51 g/day).
Frequency of potato consumption in the population aged 3 years and older, by sex, Belgium: 2022-2023
- Crude = results weighted for season, age, sex, and socioeconomic status.
- Overall, 37% of the population reports consuming potatoes two to four times per week, with very few individuals never eating potatoes (2%), and 14% eating potatoes every day.
- There are no differences in the frequency of potato consumption between men and women.
Frequency of tuber consumption in the population aged 3 years and older, by sex, Belgium: 2022-2023
- Crude = results weighted for season, age, sex, and socioeconomic status.
- 45% of the population reports never eating tubers, while 45% report eating tubers less than once per week.
- There are no differences in the frequency of tuber consumption between men and women.
By age
Mean consumption of potatoes and tubers (g/day) in the population aged 3 years and older, by age, Belgium: 2022-2023
- Crude = results weighted for season, age, sex, and socioeconomic status.
- Mean consumption refers to population mean consumption, calculated from the individual consumption over two non-consecutive 24-hour dietary recalls.
- Older adults (65 years and above) do not include those residing in care facilities, hospitalised individuals, or those who would have required significant assistance during interviews (e.g., people with cognitive impairments).
- The mean consumption of potatoes and tubers increases with age, with children (3-9 years) reporting 47g per day, adolescents (10-17 years) reporting 53 g per day, young adults (18-39 years) reporting 59 g per day, middle-aged adults (40-64 years) reporting 63 g per day, and older adults (65 years and above) reporting 73 g per day.
- The consumption ratio of potatoes to tubers does not vary between age groups, with tubers remaining relatively low (2 g/day) in all age groups.
Frequency of potatoes consumption in the population aged 3 years and older, by age, Belgium: 2022-2023
- Crude = results weighted for season, age, sex, and socioeconomic status.
- Older adults (65 years and above) do not include those residing in care facilities, hospitalised individuals, or those who would have required significant assistance during interviews (e.g., people with cognitive impairments).
- A large proportion of the population consumes potatoes two to four times per week, especially children (3-9 years; 44%), adolescents (10-17 years; 37%), and middle-aged adults (40-64 years; 35%), while older adults (65 years and above) reported consuming potatoes five to six times a week (23%) or at least once a day (33%), more frequently than the other age groups.
- Young adults (18-39 years) were more likely than other age groups to report eating potatoes either once a week (28%) or less than once a week (22%).
Frequency of tuber consumption in the population aged 3 years and older, by age, Belgium: 2022-2023
- Crude = results weighted for season, age, sex, and socioeconomic status.
- Older adults (65 years and above) do not include those residing in care facilities, hospitalised individuals, or those who would have required significant assistance during interviews (e.g., people with cognitive impairments).
- The majority of the population, regardless of age, rarely or never consumes tubers.
- 66% of older adults (65 years and above) never consume tubers compared to 32% of younger adults (18-39 years).
- The proportion of older adults (65 years and above) who report consuming tubers less than once a week is lower (30%) than in the other age groups, while more adults (aged 18-39 years; 54%) consume tubers less than once a week than in the other groups.
- Older adults are the least likely to consume tubers once a week (3%) compared to other age groups.
By educational level
Mean consumption of potatoes and tubers (g/day) in the population aged 3 years and older, by educational level, Belgium: 2022-2023
- Crude = results weighted for season, age, sex, and socioeconomic status.
- Mean consumption refers to population mean consumption, calculated from the individual consumption over two non-consecutive 24-hour dietary recalls.
- The educational level is calculated at the household level by considering the highest diploma obtained by: (i) the respondents or their partner for adults (aged 18 years and above), or (ii) the father and mother (or carer, if applicable) for children and adolescents (aged 3 to 17 years). However, for simplicity, we refer to the educational level of individuals rather than the educational level of their households.
- The mean daily consumption of potatoes and tubers decreases with increasing education levels from 67 g/day in people with low education levels to 62 g/day in people with medium education levels to 50 g/day among people with a high education levels.
- The mean consumption of tubers remaining relatively low in all education groups (lower than 2 g/day).
Frequency of potato consumption in the population aged 3 years and older, by educational level, Belgium: 2022-2023
- Crude = results weighted for season, age, sex, and socioeconomic status.
- The educational level is calculated at the household level by considering the highest diploma obtained by: (i) the respondents or their partner for adults (aged 18 years and above), or (ii) the father and mother (or carer, if applicable) for children and adolescents (aged 3 to 17 years). However, for simplicity, we refer to the educational level of individuals rather than the educational level of their households.
- The proportion of individuals that consume potatoes 2 to 4 times a week is lower in individuals with low education levels (31%) than individuals with medium (42%) and high (44%) education levels.
- On the other hand, people with a low level of education (15%) are more likely to consume potatoes five to six times a week than those with high levels of education (10%).
- 19% of individuals with low levels of education consume potatoes daily compared to 9% of individuals with medium levels of education and 6% of individuals with high levels of education.
Frequency of tuber consumption in the population aged 3 years and older, by educational level, Belgium: 2022-2023
- Crude = results weighted for season, age, sex, and socioeconomic status.
- The educational level is calculated at the household level by considering the highest diploma obtained by: (i) the respondents or their partner for adults (aged 18 years and above), or (ii) the father and mother (or carer, if applicable) for children and adolescents (aged 3 to 17 years). However, for simplicity, we refer to the educational level of individuals rather than the educational level of their households.
- Individuals with low education levels are more likely to never consume tubers (56%) compared to individuals with medium (43%) and high (28%) levels of education.
- Individuals with high levels of education (59%) are more likely to consume tubers less than once per week than those with a low (35%) or medium (49%) level of education.
By region
Mean consumption of potatoes and tubers (g/day) in the population aged 3 years and over, by region, Belgium: 2022-2023
- Crude = results weighted for season, age, sex, and socioeconomic status.
- Mean consumption refers to the population mean consumption, calculated from the individual mean consumption over two non-consecutive 24-hour dietary recalls.
- Brussels is excluded from the regional comparison due to an insufficient number of participants, but is included in the national data for Belgium.
- The mean daily consumption of potatoes and tubers is slightly lower in Wallonia (57 g/day) than in Flanders (66 g/day).
Frequency of potato consumption in the population aged 3 years and older, by region, Belgium: 2022-2023
- Crude = results weighted for season, age, sex, and socioeconomic status.
- Brussels is excluded from the regional comparison due to an insufficient number of participants, but is included in the national data for Belgium.
- Most individuals in Flanders and Wallonia consume potatoes two to four times a week.
- In Flanders, 40% of individuals consume potatoes 2 to 4 times a week compared to 34% in Wallonia, while 17% consume potatoes daily compared to 10% in Wallonia.
- More individuals in Wallonia report consuming potatoes either once a week or less than once a week compared to those in Flanders (17% and 10% for Flanders, respectively; 23% and 18% for Wallonia, respectively).
Frequency of tuber consumption in the population aged 3 years and older, by region, Belgium: 2022-2023
- Crude = results weighted for season, age, sex, and socioeconomic status.
- Brussels is excluded from the regional comparison due to an insufficient number of participants, but is included in the national data for Belgium.
- Individuals living in Wallonia were more likely to never having consumed tubers (52%) than those living in Flanders (43%). The opposite was true for those who consumed tubers less than once a week (47% in Flanders and 39% in Wallonia).
Please cite this page as: Sciensano. Food consumption: Potatoes and tubers, Food Consumption Survey 2022-2023, June 2025, Brussels, Belgium, https://www.sciensano.be/en/results-national-food-consumption-survey-2022-2023/food-consumption/potatoes-and-tubers [4]