02/20/06 Put potatoes back on the plate

Would it be fair to say the potato industry has had an uphill battle in recent years trying to counter the various forms of negative press against its product? At one end of the spectrum, there is the American favorite snack food, French fries, which has had to battle everything from being far from heart healthy to falsely being accused of having carcinogenic, and cancer causing, properties. Then on the other end, there has been its attack by those who support the low carb diet fads, such as the Atkins diet. So how can the potato industry get its message out that its product is nutritious and a healthy vegetable to boot? With the facts, according to Randy Hardy of the National Potato Board. Let's start with the fries. HARDY: French fries have had a hard time in the past but much of the problem with French fries is of course what they are cooked in. And lard products were the standard of the industry for many years, and now you see many of the fast food outlets turning to the less fattening oils. You know, olive oil, safflower oil, canola oil. And, of course, this helps tremendously with the fat. But then again, as popular as fries are, Hardy says portion control, both in serving size and personal responsibility, is needed. Or put another way, hold off on the "super size me" order. But what about the baked potato, considered a more healthier option? Again, Hardy says that is great, but remember it is what you put on the potato that makes it more fattening. Otherwise, potatoes in any preparation constitute some solid nutrition. HARDY: An average sized potato only has one hundred calories, and has twice as much potassium as a banana, and has forty five per cent of your daily requirement of vitamin C, and is a really good source of fiber. So it really is a healthy vegetable. And its knock about being high on carbs? Hardy says for years, the National Potato Board has used athletes as spokespersons talking about the benefits of carbohydrate rich potatoes in diets for active lifestyles. So the facts are mixed in with the marketing to get the word out. Only in this case, the potato industry has been relying on a toy to do its talking since late last year. HARDY: The Potato Board in contact with Hasbro, who has the rights to Mr. Potato Head, have come up with a new healthy Mr. Potato Head, that's beefed up and buffed up, and he's dressed up in exercise gear, and really touting the nutritional value of potatoes and also a new look for Mr. Potato Head. And that new look for the toy icon comes with promotional and nutritional materials for potatoes in participating retailers.