WASHINGTON — Potato growers joined Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) in praising a new report released Feb. 3 by the Institute of Medicine that recommended the U.S. Department of Agriculture reinstate white potatoes to the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children.

Last year, USDA finalized changes to the WIC package and increased access to fruit and vegetables, whole grains and low-fat dairy based on the latest science.

White potatoes were the only vegetable or fruit excluded from the WIC voucher program, and they have been the focus of years of legislative wrangling after USDA removed them from the WIC program in 2009. USDA took that step in light of an earlier IOM report that found women and children were eating too many starchy vegetables.

But IOM changed its mind after reviewing the latest science and recommended white potatoes be added back to the WIC system in the IOM Review of WIC Food Packages: An Evaluation of White Potatoes in the Cash Value Voucher: Letter Report.

“As I have said all along, USDA’s decision ought to be driven by nutritional facts and the latest accurate food science,” Sen. Collins said. “The IOM review released [Jan. 4] confirms my belief that USDA’s decision was based on the outdated recommendations from the 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans.

“IOM concludes that increased consumption of fresh, white potatoes could improve potassium intake for both women and children, and recommends that USDA allow white potatoes as a WIC-eligible vegetable,” Collins continued. “Instead of prohibiting the purchase of the fresh potato, USDA should encourage its healthy preparation as it can help improve the nutrient intake and diet quality of WIC participants.”

Collins worked with Idaho lawmakers to force USDA to reinstate white potatoes through congressional legislation.

“I am absolutely thrilled IOM verified what all other science and analyses for generations verified -- that white potatoes are part of a nutritious diet,” Frank Muir, president and chief executive officer of the Idaho Potato Commission, told The Produce News.

By excluding white potatoes, which Muir called the “world’s largest multivitamins,” USDA sent a message they were not healthy.

Because of the legislation, USDA had already sent a directive to WIC managers directing them to include white potatoes for low-income mothers and children.

“What this does is put a stamp of approval on what Congress did,” said Muir, who spoke to The Produce News from a Boise, ID, event with the American Heart Association marking Go Red for Women, a national campaign to raise awareness about heart disease.

Idaho potatoes are certified as heart-healthy by the AHA, Muir added.

The National Potato Council said Feb. 4 that it “applauds the review conducted by the IOM on the role of white potatoes in meeting the nutritional needs of WIC mothers and children.”

IOM’s latest report is based on a review of consumption data from the 2007-2010 National Health & Nutrition Examination Survey, which found a low intake by WIC participants of potassium and fiber, identified as nutrients of concern in both the 2005 and 2010 DGAs, the NPC said.

“The report noted that women and children in WIC are now consuming only 64 and 56 percent, respectively, of the amount of starchy vegetables recommended by the 2010 DGA,” according to the NPC.