The Role of Potatoes in Dietary Guidelines and School Meal Programs

As the federal government reviews the proposed 2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA), which will become the foundation for future decisions made by USDA, HHS, and other departments about which commodities can access various nutrition programs, the potato industry is working to ensure the DGA process accurately reflects the nutritional value of potatoes. Pam Miller, Administrator of USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service, and Beth Johnson, Principal & CEO of Food Directions, who works to navigate the food policy landscape, joined the Potato D.C. Fly-In to talk about the importance of the federal nutrition programs and place of potatoes within them. Guests: Pam Miller, Administrator of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Service Beth Johnson, MS, RD, Principal & CEO, Food Directions LLCKam Quarles, CEO, National Potato Council