Potatoes USA: Working To Help Growers, Promote Spuds

Potato growers have a lot to address in 2022, outside of weather and growing conditions. Blair Richardson, CEO of Potatoes USA said like the entire farming community, potato growers are trying to overcome logistical issues, inflation, rising input costs as well as the war in Ukraine. But, he pointed out when it comes to the potato industry specifically, one of the biggest challenges they are trying to overcome is in the world of nutrition.

“The science clearly shows potatoes are a nutrient-dense vegetable that delivers health benefits across every stage of life. Our potato farmers work hard to grow this nutrient-dense vegetable – in fact, a 5.3 ounce skin-on potato provides more vitamin C than a tomato and more potassium than a banana and is only 110 calories.  So, a lot of the things that we’re fighting in the world of nutrition are not based on science and actual data they are more misrepresentations of our product.”

In an effort to combat this struggle, Richardson said Potatoes USA is leading an initiative to help people more easily choose high-quality carbohydrate-containing foods. He said the science is being conducted by an independent panel of nutrition scientists.

“This endeavor is still in progress but I’m happy to share that this expert panel has agreed that the final scoring system must not include Glycemic Index values as a marker of carbohydrate quality.  And this is one of the problems we’ve seen over the years the Glycemic Index is a great tool, but it’s very limited and does not have the depth to really measure what a quality carbohydrate is.”

Rather, Richardson said , the focus of the initiative is on the nutrient contributions of carbohydrate foods and how they can help people meet the 2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans.

If you have a story idea for the PNW Ag Network, call (509) 547-1618, or e-mail gvaagen@cherrycreekmedia.com