The U.S. Department of Agriculture has told Republican U.S. Sen. Susan Collins of Maine that it will support keeping potatoes classified as a vegetable, instead of a grain.
In March, the USDA was reportedly considering reclassifying potatoes under revised dietary guidelines. But Collins and other federal lawmakers pushed back, and said the spuds offer a variety of nutrients, and the reclassification would cause confusion for consumers and growers.
In a press release, Collins said she spoke with U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Thomas Vilsack this week, who personally assured her the department will officially support keeping potatoes as a vegetable.
In a letter to Vilsack and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Collins pointed out that school nutrition programs already struggle to meet vegetable consumption recommendations affordably, and potatoes are often the most affordable vegetable.
