Hash­ing it out: Bipar­ti­san group of sen­a­tors say pota­toes are veg­eta­bles, not grains

Pota­toes are not a grain, accord­ing to a bipar­ti­san group of 14 sen­a­tors who want the Agri­cul­ture and Health and Human Ser­vices depart­ments to con­tin­ue clas­si­fy­ing the starchy spud as a veg­etable.
Sens. Susan Collins (R‑ME) and Michael Ben­net (D‑CO) penned a let­ter to the gov­ern­ment agen­cies on Tues­day demand­ing that pota­toes remain a veg­etable as the U.S. Dietary Guide­lines Advi­so­ry Com­mit­tee pre­pares to imple­ment new diet guide­lines in 2025. 
“Since the incep­tion of the U.S. Depart­ment of Agri­cul­ture (USDA), it has clas­si­fied pota­toes cor­rect­ly as a veg­etable,” they wrote. “Unlike grains, white pota­toes are strong con­trib­u­tors of potas­si­um, cal­ci­um, vit­a­min C, vit­a­min B6, and fiber.” 
Experts say that pota­toes should not count toward a person’s veg­etable intake because they are high in starch car­bo­hy­drates, which can cause blood sug­ar lev­els to spike. A 2019 study found the most con­sumed food in the Unit­ed States was the pota­to, though it revealed most peo­ple ea …