Last month, the U.S. Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee created new guidelines for 2025, which included a surprising update on potatoes.
According to Better Homes & Gardens, the committee, which organizes food into five distinct categories, plans to move spuds from the category of starchy vegetable to the category of grains and starchy, carbohydrate-heavy foods.
The update is due to the committee fearing people are not getting enough nutrients by labeling potatoes as vegetables, the article said.
What has the National Potato Council said?
Kam Quarles, CEO of the National Potato Council, has pushed back against the committee’s potential move.
“Potatoes are a vegetable,” Quarles said in a statement.
He added, “While NPC is sensitive to individual needs and cultures, we urge the Committee to recognize a potato is not a grain. Potatoes are the most widely produced vegetable in the U.S.”
Quarles advised the committee to “focus on strategies to increase vegetable consumption and maintain recommendations for servings of what are often referred to as starchy vegetables.”
Per Food and Wine, trade group The Grain Chain is also opposed to the proposal of labeling spuds as anything but a starchy vegetable, stating it “could further exacerbate nutrient shortfalls.”
The potato’s impact on American diets
A 2019 report by the USDA said that roughly 49 pounds of potatoes were consumed per person per year, making them the most consumed vegetable in the country. By comparison, only about 31 tomatoes — which came second — were consumed per person.
The report noted that french fries and potato chips played a significant role in that result.
In part because of the popularity of eating it fried, the potato’s positives and negatives have been hotly debated.
Lilian Cheung, lecturer of nutrition at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, told CNBC, “A potato is not a vegetable from a nutrition point of view.” She added, “Potatoes almost behave like a refined carbohydrate. It increases your blood sugar.”
Harvard’s School of Public Health further claims that diets high in potato consumption could correlate with a higher risk of developing obesity and diabetes. Experts say that a cup of potatoes is comparative to jelly beans and a can of cola, in terms of their similar effects on blood sugar.
Despite these arguments, potatoes offer nutritional value to most diets. Potatoes, according to Medical News Today, have multiple benefits for the body, such as:
- Building and maintaining bone health.
- Assisting with mood and learning abilities.
- Preventing constipation.
- Decreasing the risk of heart disease and cancer.
Quarles, in his statement, explains, “Unlike grains, white potatoes are a strong contributor of potassium, calcium, vitamin C, and vitamin B6 and fiber.”
He concludes, “Potatoes are a versatile, affordable, and popular nutrient-dense choice across socioeconomic groups and cultures. Prepared in any form, potatoes provide essential, under-consumed nutrients.”