Scientists Develop Better Potatoes, for the Sake of Chips

You can’t have just one. Potato chips are America’s classic snack: crunchy, salty, greasy, and tasting of potato or flavored with things like sour cream, vinegar, BBQ, maple bacon, or Cajun dill. And today, on March 14, chip lovers across the country can celebrate them on National Potato Chip Day.

It shouldn’t be a surprise that Americans eat more potato chips than any other nation; more than four pounds a person a year, according to Potatoes USA. About 22 percent of the U.S. potato crop — nearly 7,500 million pounds annually — is made into chips. Consumers spend more than $7 billion dollars buying potato chips at retailers. And USDA’s Agricultural Research Service helps ensure that the country always has the perfect potato for frying into chips.

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