Media reports say the potato could soon be classified as a grain in the United States dietary guidelines.
Fourteen U.S. senators have written a letter to the heads of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) regarding their position against “recent press reports concerning the Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGAs)… and the possible reclassification of potatoes as a grain, instead of a vegetable.”
The letter, dated March 26, received bipartisan support from 14 senators, and declares that since the inception of the USDA, the potato has been classified as a vegetable. The letter states: “There is no debate about the physical characteristics of the potato and its horticultural scientific classification. Unlike grains, white potatoes are strong contributors of potassium, calcium, vitamin C, vitamin B6, and fiber. A medium baked potato contains 15 percent of the daily recommended value of dietary fiber, 27 percent of the daily recommended value for vitamin B6, and 28 percent of the daily recommended value of vitamin C. In fact, potatoes have more potassium than bananas, a food that is commonly associated with being high in potassium.”
The letter also notes that reclassifying potatoes could deprive consumers of essential nutrients, and altering the current classification under the DGAs would cause widespread confusion among consumers, retailers, restaurant operators, growers, and the entire supply chain. This is why trade groups from both sides of the classification debate have expressed opposition to defining potatoes as anything other than a vegetable.
“In addition, our federal nutrition programs rely on the DGAs to ensure that program beneficiaries are receiving well-balanced, nutritious food. Such a change could also come at a cost to our nation’s schools,” the letter says. “Under the National School Breakfast and National School Lunch Programs, schools already struggle to meet vegetable consumption recommendations at a reasonable cost, and potatoes are often the most affordable vegetable.”
The letter also cites the 2013 National Library of Medicine Study White Potatoes, Human Health, and Dietary Guidance, which states: “Potatoes should be included in the vegetable group because they contribute critical nutrients… all white vegetables, including white potatoes, provide nutrients needed in the diet and deserve a prominent position in food guides.”
National Potato Council (NPC) CEO Kam Quarles provided testimony during the Sept. 12, 2023, hearing of the 2025 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee. As stated on the NPC website, “Quarles stressed that the DGAs should not pick winners and losers among vegetables but should encourage all Americans to consume more vegetables to meet the federal government’s recommendations. He also urged the committee to reject a proposal to lump starchy vegetables in the same category as grains, noting that “starchy vegetables and grains are two vastly different food groups that play distinctly different roles in contributing nutrients to the diet.”
Twenty-seven additional members of congress also signed support of the letter.
Potatoes are currently listed in the 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans as a starchy vegetable, in the Red and Orange Vegetable subgroup category.
As cited in many news reports, the Harvard Healthy Eating Plate does not classify the potato as a vegetable, stating “… and remember that potatoes don’t count as vegetables on the Healthy Eating Plate because of their negative impact on blood sugar.”
The final meeting of the 2025 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee will be held May 29, 2024.
