J U L Y / A U G U S T 2 0 1 9 POTATO GROWER 7 McMaster University. Unfortunately, there are still some scien- tists out there who do not understand the nutritional benefits of potatoes and continue to promote an agenda of limit- ing potato consumption. A New York Times article gained a lot of attention with the headline “You Don’t Want Fries With That”. In the article, Professor Eric Rimm from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health referred to pota- toes as “starch bombs” and recommend- ed that people cut down consumption, including suggesting that just six French fries should be considered as a serving. Dr. Rimm’s recommendation came on the heels of a 2017 study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition which concluded that the frequent con- sumption of fried potatoes appears to be associated with increased mortality. However, the study suffered from a number of methodological weaknesses and analytical flaws that severely impacted the validity of the study as well as the generalizability of the results. The potato industry responded to the journal with a Letter to the Editor, which the journal published in April 2018. This misguided anti-potato rhetoric has crept into other broader discussions of planetary and human health. The EAT- Lancet Commission on Food, Planet and Health, a group of 30 scientists from across the globe, announced recommen- dations in January 2019 for a “universal healthy reference diet” which would emphasize reducing the consumption of animal-based products in favor of a plant-based diet. The Commission also recommended that the global popula- tion should consume just 50 grams, or 39 calories, of “starchy vegetables” per day. The Commission also excluded potatoes from the “vegetable” category altogether, when in fact, potatoes are a vegetable as defined by both the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Dietary Guidelines for Americans and the graphic representation of the guide- lines, which are jointly published by the USDA and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Fortunately, positive potato nutrition headlines and recipe ideas continue to dominate mainstream media. From citing potatoes as an ideal source of plant-based protein, to including potatoes in features on the best types of carbohydrates, stories have been published on several top print and online outlets in just the past few months, including Good Housekeeping, Men’s Health, Outside and Well and Good, among others. MAYOMFG.COM 218 773 1234 800 223 5873 PARTS