Why are lawmakers pushing to keep potatoes classified as a vegetable?
Newsy
The lawmakers cite at least one study that says potatoes "contribute critical nutrients," amid perceived concerns they might be reclassified.
This week a bipartisan-led effort — that included the backing of U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Michael Bennet in a group of 14 senators — targeted any attempt to reclassify potatoes as a grain, instead of their current classification as a vegetable.
The push comes amid the Dietary Guidelines for Americans process where lawmakers and officials review public agency comments as they work to update the country's dietary guidelines.
The group of senators sent a letter to U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Thomas Vilsack and the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra to oppose any reclassification of potatoes.
In the letter, the group cited a 2013 study from the National Library of Medicine that said potatoes should be classified as a vegetable as they "contribute critical nutrients." The study said, "all white vegetables, including white potatoes, provide nutrients needed in the diet."
The senators wrote that since the inception of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the agency has classified potatoes as a vegetable. According to data used by the senators, potatoes are a "strong" contributor of potassium, calcium, vitamin C, vitamin B6, and fiber.
