I grew up in Aroostook County, which has been called the "Potato Capital of America." One of my first jobs was picking potatoes for a local farmer, Gilman Albair. Mainers are proud of our potato industry, which according to the Maine Potato Board, employs more than 6,000 people and pays more than $32 million in state and local taxes.

Currently, however, white potatoes are the only fresh fruit or vegetable excluded from the Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children, known as WIC. This inappropriately limits the choices of those who use WIC vouchers, and it sends a message to Americans that potatoes are not nutritious. Because some don't differentiate between French fries and baked potatoes, the potato has gotten a bad rap. The fact is potatoes have more potassium than bananas. They are cholesterol-free, fat-free and sodium-free. A medium baked potato contains 15 percent of the daily recommended value of dietary fiber, 27 percent of the daily recommended value for vitamin B6, and 28 percent of the daily recommended value of vitamin C.  

Eating baked potatoes, with their skin, is a good, nutritious choice. Instead of prohibiting the purchase of the fresh potato, USDA should encourage its healthy preparation.

Potatoes' exclusion from the USDA 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. By contrast, the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend 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.

Aside from the overall healthfulness of the potato and its role as a nutrient-dense, affordable vegetable, other glaring inconsistencies in the implementation of USDA's WIC rule remain. For example, potatoes for sale in a supermarket are not available for purchase using WIC fresh fruit and vegetable vouchers.  Those same potatoes, however, are eligible for purchase in many states using the vouchers in the WIC Farmers' Market Nutrition Program. It is troubling that programs with the same ultimate mission would unnecessarily apply inconsistent scientific standards.

I am pleased that the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee, of which I am a senior member, recently approved a bipartisan agreement that I authored to allow families using the WIC program to purchase all fresh, healthy vegetables, including the white potato.

The agreement, included in next year's USDA funding bill, would allow all fresh vegetables, including the fresh, white potato to be included in the WIC program immediately upon enactment of the bill. It's important to note that the language also states that vegetables with added sugars, fats, or oils are prohibited. 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 has an obligation to base federal nutrition programs on sound food science and the latest nutritional data. In that kind of review, the fresh white potato wins, hands down, and it should not be excluded from the WIC program.