Several medical groups have spoken out against adding potatoes to WIC. That review by the Institute of Medicine, which advises the government on health matters, is already underway. Only a handful of foods meant to boost nutrition are allowed, such as whole grains, low-fat dairy, and fruits and vegetables.Īgriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack has opposed efforts to add white potatoes to WIC, but said in a letter to a member of Congress earlier this year that USDA would move up a regular review of the WIC food package by more than a year to 'so we can seek the assistance of IOM to learn if the basis for its recommendation for the exclusion of white potatoes from the WIC food packages is still supported by the most current science available.' WIC provides grants to states to provide food vouchers to low-income pregnant women, breastfeeding and non-breastfeeding women who have recently given birth, infants and children up to age 5 who are found to be at nutritional risk. The USDA effort was an attempt to limit the proliferation of french fries on school lunch lines. The potato industry had an earlier major legislative victory in 2011, when Congress voted to thwart the Agriculture Department's recommendation that only two servings a week of potatoes and other starchy vegetables be served in federally subsidized school lunches. Lawmakers from roughly 40 potato-growing states have been pushing for several years to include the potato in the program. The potato industry has aggressively lobbied for inclusion in WIC, saying it's not as much about sales as the perception that potatoes aren't as nutritious as other vegetables. The Institute of Medicine had recommended that they be excluded, saying WIC recipients already eat enough white potatoes.

It's not that white potatoes themselves aren't nutritious, but they're often used to make french fries, which are usually fried or baked in unhealthy fats and oils.

White potatoes have been excluded from WIC since fruits and vegetables were first allowed under the program in 2009.

The potato provision is part of a massive spending bill Congress is expected to approve soon. WASHINGTON (AP) ? It's another political victory for the popular potato.įor the first time, low-income women would be able to pay for them with government-subsidized vouchers issued by the Women, Infants and Children nutrition program.

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