Are potatoes vegetables or grains? Sen. Cantwell takes side in debate with WA implications

Washington’s U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell, along with 13 other senators, is insisting that potatoes are a vegetable. Sen. Cantwell joined a bipartisan group of senators who sent a letter to the departments of Agriculture and Health and Human Services, calling on them to keep the potato classified as a vegetable. Here’s how it could affect Washington.

The letter concerns the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, a set of (you guessed it) dietary guidelines published every five years by the USDA and HHS. A recent report said that the advisory committee for the guidelines is considering classifying potatoes as a grain.

The group of senators sent Secretary of Agriculture Thomas Vilsack and Secretary of Health and Human Services Xavier Becerra the letter, arguing that potatoes should keep their vegetable classification because they provide essential nutrients.

“In fact, potatoes have more potassium than bananas, a food that is commonly associated with being high in potassium,” the letter said.

The letter cited a 2013 study published by the National Library of Medicine saying that “potatoes should be included in the vegetable group because they contribute critical nutrients.”

What would a change mean?

Potatoes are by far the most eaten vegetable in the U.S., according to the USDA. A 2019 study found that the average American eats 49.4 pounds of potatoes a year, compared to 31.4 pounds of tomatoes, the second most eaten vegetable, and 9.4 pounds of onions, which came in third.

A change in potatoes’ classification would mean that vegetable consumption across the country would go down, technically. However, the nutrients in potatoes wouldn’t magically disappear if the potatoes were reclassified as a grain, something the senators may have missed.

“If potatoes were to be reclassified, consumers would miss out on vital nutrients,” the letter warns.

It’s worth noting that the same 2019 study broke down the consumption of each vegetable into categories — fresh, frozen, canned, dehydrated and potato chip.

Classifying potatoes as a grain would particularly affect school lunch programs, which need a cheap way to offer meals that meet vegetable intake guidelines.

“Schools already struggle to meet vegetable consumption recommendations at a reasonable cost, and potatoes are often the most affordable vegetable,” the letter states.

On a more ominous note, the senators warn that classifying potatoes as a grain would “immediately confuse consumers, retailers, restaurant operators, growers, and the entire supply chain.”

Chris Voigt, executive director of the Washington State Potato Commission, said that the senators are right to be concerned about widespread confusion, since the DGAs have a big influence on how Americans think of their dietary needs.

“If you think back to the food pyramid, or [the] MyPlate [initiative], this is the scientific body that is advising the USDA and the department of health on how we should eat as people, how we should eat as Americans,” said Voigt, who’s the subject of a 2010 Eater article titled “Shocker: Man Now Regrets All-Potato Stunt Diet.”

What about the economic impact?

Voigt said that the economic impact of a potential change isn’t as much of a concern, but Washington produces the second most potatoes of any state, and over 20% of all potatoes grown in the U.S., so a change could have economic effects as well.

“Because of potato production in Washington, we’re responsible for about 36,000 jobs,” Voigt said.

The potato industry has a $7.4 billion annual total economic impact on the state, with between $700 million and $900 million of that coming from the actual sale of potatoes, according to Voigt and the WSPC’s most recent estimates.

A change in the food’s classification would offer meal programs that aim to meet federal vegetable consumption guidelines, such as school lunches, less incentive to buy potatoes. It would also change how the potato industry is funded by government agencies, since the spud would no longer count as a “specialty crop,” Idaho Potato Commission president and CEO Jamey Higham said in an interview last week.