Potatoes are under attack from all sides, with the nation’s obesity epidemic leading health advocates to single out the vegetable for its sins ”“ namely, in its most fatty and popular form: French fries.
The government has already taken one step in opposing spuds by cutting it from the list of grocery items covered by the Women Infants and Children (WIC) food program for low-income women and their families, and now the USDA wants potatoes off school lunch and breakfast menus. Even fast food chains are offering alternatives to french fries nowadays, at least in children’s meals.
The USDA proposal would promote fruits, vegetables and whole grains while limiting sodium, banning trans fats and reducing starches, according to a recent AP report. Starchy vegetables like potatoes would be limited to about one cup per week.
That reduction will represent a significant hit to potato farmers, no doubt, and to Maine overall. According to a study commissioned by the Maine Potato Board in 2003, sales of Maine potatoes in 2001 exceeded $125 million, making potatoes Maine’s number one agriculture crop and rivaling Maine’s lobster industry landings of $153 million.
With potatoes making up such an important part of our economy, it’s no surprise that Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, is fighting to keep potatoes in schools ”“ albeit not the fried version ”“ in the interest of Maine farmers. We believe, however, that Collins’ loyalties should lie with the next generation and with the health of our nation before sacrificing those for the sake of profits.
The fact is, obesity is a major problem in this country. Nationwide, a 2007 report issued by the Maine Centers for Disease Control noted that obesity has risen 100 percent in the past 20 years; and rates have doubled in children in the past 20 years. For teens, the obesity rate has tripled in the past 20 years.
In Maine, the problem is even more acute, so we ought to be giving special consideration to this epidemic despite our reliance on the potato crop economically. The report notes that obesity rates rose 100 percent between 1990 and 2006 and one in five Mainers is obese ”“ not just overweight, but obese. Nearly 25 percent of our high school students are overweight, and 36 percent of our kindergartners have a body mass index in the 85th percentile.
As we all know, obesity contributes to a variety of very serious health problems, from heart disease to joint problems and diabetes. Those problems take money out of the economy and those costs cannot be denied. Yes, the potato industry is an important part of Maine’s economy, but so is the health of our residents.
Public schools are an important place to teach children how to eat properly ”“ not only in the classroom, but in the cafeteria. That means balancing different ingredients, limiting junk food and sweets, and learning proper portion sizes. With schools serving meals heavy on fruits and grains, a proper diet is normalized for people at a young age, which could have a real impact on their future health.
The problem has been that schools have been serving the ready-made fried up versions of this vegetable, from the ever-popular Tater Tots to french fries and hashbrowns. Of course, no one can argue in favor of those items, however delicious they may be, in an environment where we’re trying to promote healthy eating for children.
That doesn’t mean that potatoes must be banned from schools, just used less frequently, as the USDA is proposing. Used in salads and soups, boiled instead of fried, the potato is a filling and important part of the typical American diet. The spud has some nutritional value and since children are going to be exposed to potatoes, as they are prevalent in American cooking, it seems appropriate that schools should serve them, too. Young people should simply be taught how to deal with potatoes appropriately – learning guidelines such as how a baked potato should be no bigger than your fist.
Outside of school, we doubt the demand for french fries, hashbrowns, fully dressed baked potatoes, creamy mashed potatoes and all the other wonderfully bad-for-you incarnations of Maine’s most famous vegetable will drop off much, so it’s unlikely that the industry will be devastated by the new USDA plan.
As in all things, legislators must take a reasonable, conservative approach to the obesity epidemic, and we hope Collins and other legislators keep the health of American children in mind when they are faced with political pressure from the potato farmers.
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