Although the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has always categorized potatoes as a vegetable, there have been rumors in the media recently that the 2025–2030 Dietary Guidelines for Americans (Dietary Guidelines) may reclassify potatoes as grains.

Every five years, the USDA and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) publish the Dietary Guidelines, which offer recommendations based on food to update nutrition requirements.

U.S. Senators Kevin Cramer (R-ND) and Susan Collins (R-ME) opposed the idea of reclassifying potatoes as grains in a letter to HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra and USDA Secretary Thomas Vilsack. The senators claimed that changing the way potatoes are now classified under the Dietary Guidelines would confuse producers, retailers, restaurant owners, customers, and the entire supply chain. They also claimed that consumers would lose out on important nutrients if potatoes were reclassified.

“That is one of the reasons that the trade groups of both sides of this classification debate have filed comments in opposition to potatoes being defined as anything other than a vegetable. In addition, our federal nutrition programs rely on the DGAs to ensure that program beneficiaries are receiving well-balanced, nutritious food. Such a change could also come at a cost to our nation’s schools. Under the National School Breakfast and National School Lunch Programs, schools already struggle to meet vegetable consumption recommendations at a reasonable cost, and potatoes are often the most affordable vegetable,” the senators wrote.

The senators argued classifying potatoes as a grain would go against a 2013 National Library of Medicine Study which states, “potatoes should be included in the vegetable group because they contribute critical nutrients. All white vegetables, including white potatoes, provide nutrients needed in the diet and deserve a prominent position in food guides.”

“Given this strong, fact-backed assertion produced from the National Library of Medicine study, it does not make any sense for your departments to reclassify potatoes as a grain. We strongly urge you to avoid reclassifying potatoes as a grain or suggest grains and potatoes are interchangeable. Given the rapid timeline that the DGAs are on, we ask that you provide us an update on this issue as soon as possible,” the senators concluded.