Diet may be over but crusdae to get potatoes in WIC is not

Washington Ag Today January 14, 2011 The 60-day diet of 20 potatoes a day under taken by Chris Voigt of the Washington State Potato Commission may be over, but he says the battle to get the USDA to include potatoes in the Women, Infants and Children program continues.

Voigt: “Now we have to take the results of that diet and all the attention it got from the public, and the outrage the public has about potatoes not being included in the WIC program, and we are bringing that to Washington D.C. So we will be traveling to Washington D.C. in mid-February and then again if we have to we will be back at the end of February to make sure we get our message across not only to the USDA about including potatoes in WIC, but also to our congressional delegation and congressional members throughout the country.”

The Washington State Potato Commission has a Voter Choice link on its website so those who followed Voigt during his diet can send the USDA a letter urging it to reinstate potatoes into the WIC program.

Also Voigt’s diet generated tremendous public interest in health potato recipes so the commission is working with a dietician and a chef on a recipe brochure.

Voigt: “They are putting just incredible healthy potato recipes “28 Days of Potatoes” where we are going to have recipes for breakfast, lunch, dinner and even snacks.”

Finally, Voigt was honored with the Potato Man of the Year award by the Packer and Grower magazines in connection with the National Potato Council at the council’s recent annual banquet.

That’s Washington Ag Today. Brought to you in part by the Washington State Potato Commission. Nutrition today. Good health tomorrow. I’m Bob Hoff for Northwest Aginfo Net.