Senators Urge Biden Administration To Protect Potato’s Status as a ‘Vegetable’
The senators claim a proposed change to classification of the potato would ‘confuse consumers, retailers, restaurant operators, farmers, and the entire supply chain.’
A group of senators is petitioning the United States Department of Agriculture to not reclassify potatoes as a grain, a measure that the Department of Agriculture has been considering in its new 2025 to 2030 Dietary Guidelines for Americans.
In a letter to USDA Secretary Thomas Vilsack and HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra, Senators Cramer, Bennet, and Collins opposed reclassifying the starchy root vegetable, saying doing so would “confuse consumers, retailers, restaurant operators, farmers, and the entire supply chain.”
“There is no debate about the physical characteristics of the
potato and its horticultural scientific classification,” the senators wrote. “Unlike grains, white potatoes are strong contributors of potassium, calcium, vitamin C, vitamin B6, and fiber.”
The letter, signed by 14 senators goes on to argue that potatoes are the most affordable vegetable and are often favored by schools attempting to “meet vegetable consumption recommendations at a reasonable cost, and potatoes are often the most affordable vegetable.”
“In addition, our federal nutrition programs rely on the [dietary guidelines] to ensure that program beneficiaries are receiving well-balanced, nutritious food,” the senators wrote. “Such a change could also come at a cost to our nation’s schools.”
According to a report by the American Action Forum, only 9.3 percent of Americans regularly meet their daily recommended consumption of vegetables, and potatoes and tomatoes are the most consumed.
A significant portion of the consumption of both potatoes and tomatoes, however, comes from highly processed foods like frozen french fries or tomato sauce.
The idea of reclassifying potatoes as a grain has engendered opposition from both the potato and grain industries, with the National Potato Council and The Grain Chain both voicing opposition.
At a hearing on the topic before the DDietary Guidelines Advisory Committee, the chief executive of the National Potato Council, Kam Quarles, also said that reclassifying potatoes “will confuse consumers, could result in nutrient gaps and also decreased vegetable consumption.”
“We ask the Committee to avoid this chaotic outcome and continue to acknowledge the fact that potatoes are a vegetable,” Mr. Quarles said.
