New guidelines aimed at improving healthy eating habits in Australia has angered potato growers as the document suggests to reduce the consumption of potatoes.

Some of the considerations in the National Health and Medical Research Council report are:

Consuming at least five serves of vegetables per day (75g per serve) is recommended for Australian adults, while amounts recommended for children and adolescents depend on their age and sex.

The most recent dietary surveys show that consumption of vegetable and legumes/beans in Australia is generally less than half that recommended for adults and children, and the mix of vegetables consumed also needs to be addressed.

To meet the recommended food group intakes, most adults should increase their total consumption of vegetables by more than 30%. A 30% increase in intake of green and Brassica vegetables, 140% in red- and orangecoloured vegetables and 90% in other vegetables would be optimal, while consumption of starchy vegetables needs to decrease by 40%.

Replacing potatoes with other vegetables would increase the variety of vegetables consumed and provide additional health benefits.