Spuds out of reach for some families

Fate of Farm Bill, white potatoes up in air

WASHINGTON - Government representatives are rallying in support of making Washington potatoes more available for low income families.

Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., is leading the charge, gathering support from fellow senators and sending a letter to the chairs and ranking members of the conference committee addressing the Farm Bill.

The letter requests inclusion of potatoes in the special supplemental nutrition program for Women, Infants and Children, commonly known as WIC.

As part of the plan to update the WIC program, the Institute of Medicine issued a report in 2003 commenting on the importance of expanding WIC to include fruits and vegetables.

But the institute recommended white potatoes be excluded despite the fact they are a source of potassium, Vitamin C, fiber and many B vitamins.

In August 2006, the United States Department of Agriculture proposed a rule to revise the WIC food packages, based in large part on the recommendations of the institute. An interim rule was published by the department in December 2007.

Murray's letter states concern by the exclusion of white potatoes in the new regulation.

"We find this recommendation troubling because it is in sharp contradiction to the report's nutritional findings," the letter states. "It is illogical that USDA has excluded from the final WIC package a vegetable that contains at least four of the vitamins that are inadequate in the American diet."

The letter also notes singling out potatoes for exclusion will create confusion amongst WIC program participants and administrative burdens for grocers and vendors.

Washington State Potato Commission Assistant Executive Director Karen Bonaudi said WIC is part of the Farm Bill.

"The Farm Bill has a lot of problems," Bonaudi said. "It has a lot of issues. There's different ways they can go with it. They've extended the deadline multiple times. This Friday is the latest extension. What we have heard is there is a threat to try to get the Senate to pass individual pieces of it."

Whether such a move is possible or effective is unknown, Bonaudi said.

"It's just a measure of the frustration that's out there," she said. "The real hang-up with it is budgetary, and which programs are going to be cut and which new programs senators want to get in. This particular proposal of ours, to have white potatoes included for lo-income women, is revenue-neutral. It would be very nice to see that get in there, that change made, because it really won't affect the bottom line. But right now we don't know if anything's possible."

The current Farm Bill expired April 18, which would cause reversion to the 1949 law, according to a National Potato Council insider report provided by Bonaudi. The House and Senate approved a one-week extension which expires Friday.

The report states it is uncertain if President George W. Bush will sign the extension or sign into law a farm bill which contains farm bill spending increases funded by tax increases.

"They could extend it again, they could just roll it over so the same old, same old is there." Bonaudi said. "The problem is this bill dates back to 1949, and it really is time for a change."

Because white potatoes and fruits and vegetables have not been listed specifically in the WIC program so far, there wouldn't be a cut to demand, Bonaudi said.

"But what the current language does do is draw attention to the fact white potatoes are (falsely) not considered healthy fruit and vegetables," she said.