sweet potatoes

Exports of US-grown sweet potatoes have rocketed in the past decade, according to figures published by the US Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Foreign Agricultural Service.

According to the agency, exports of the product increased from 6,300 tonnes to nearly 43,000 tonnes between 2003 and 2011.

The UK is by far the largest European market for US sweet potatoes, taking more than 31,200 tonnes last year.

However, Europe as a whole is evidently acquiring a taste for the beta keratin-rich tuber, with imports through Rotterdam increasing by 155 per cent last year to nearly 9,400 tonnes.