WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee approved a bipartisan agreement May 22, authored by Sens. Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Mark Pryor (D-Ark.), that would require all fresh fruits and vegetables — including white potatoes — to be included in the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) program.
Included in the 2015 Agriculture appropriations bill, the agreement would allow all fresh vegetables, including the white potato, which has previously been excluded from the WIC program, to be included immediately upon enactment of the bill. The bill’s language also states that vegetables with added sugars, fats or oils cannot be purchased using WIC vouchers.
The provision also requires USDA to commence the next scheduled regular review of the WIC food package, including an evaluation of the nutrient value of all fresh fruits and vegetables, to determine the long-term inclusion or exclusion of any fresh fruit or vegetable. USDA would be required to report back to Congress with its findings.
“USDA’s decision ought to be driven by nutritional facts and food science. In that kind of review, the fresh, white potato wins, hands down,” said Collins. “The potato has more potassium than bananas, a food commonly associated with this nutrient, which is important for pregnant women and new mothers. Potatoes are cholesterol-free, fat-free and sodium-free, and can be prepared in countless healthy ways. A medium baked potato contains 15 percent of the daily recommended value of dietary fiber, 27 percent of the daily suggested value for vitamin B6, and 28 percent of the daily recommended value of Vitamin C.
“It also defies logic that WIC participants may purchase fresh white potatoes sold at a farmers’ market but may not purchase fresh white potatoes sold in grocery stores,” she said. “Potatoes are an affordable and nutrient-dense food that all WIC participants should be able to purchase regardless of the where they are sold.”
Currently, fresh white potatoes are the only fresh fruit or vegetable excluded from the approved WIC food package, which sends a message to Americans that potatoes are not nutritious and inappropriately limits the choices of those using WIC vouchers. Potatoes’ exclusion from the U.S. Department of Agriculture rule went into effect in December 2009 and is based on recommendations of the 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans report, which uses consumption data that is nearly 20 years old. The 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, however, recommends five to six cups of these vegetables per week for women with a daily caloric intake of 1,800 to 2,400 calories — an increase of two to three cups per week from the 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans.
U.S. Sen. Angus King (I-Maine) was pleased with the appropriations committee’s decision.
“This amendment is a tremendous victory for Maine potato farmers and for low income families who are looking for another healthy and inexpensive food option,” he said. “The USDA’s policy, which everyone — except USDA — knows is based on outdated science, was shortsighted and misguided.
“Low-income Americans deserve better. With the inclusion of this provision, we are one step closer to helping families get access to all nutritious fruits and vegetables,” said King. “I applaud the leadership of my colleague Sen. Collins in moving this issue forward.”
Last spring, King co-sponsored an amendment with Collins to the Senate Farm Bill which would have included white potatoes in the WIC program. However, the amendment did not receive a vote on the Senate floor.
Tim Hobbs, director of development/grower relations for the Maine Potato Board, was equally happy with the decision.
“If you base the inclusion or exclusion of fruits and vegetables in the WIC program on science — if that’s what you’re using as your criteria — then the science says that potatoes ought to be in it,” he said. “The issue was they were following old science and some biases the federal government had.
“Sen. Collins went to bat for potatoes, and now the appropriations committee on both the House and Senate side have included potatoes in their language,” said Hobbs, “which is a good thing. Will we sell any more potatoes because of it? It’s not about sales as much as it is about black eyes. Having the potatoes included in the WIC program helps endorse the nutritional value of the potato, which we have known all along.”
