In 1996, the United States reached peak potato production. Americans ate 64 pounds of vegetables each year, more than at any time since modern records began in 1970. A record harvest had flooded the country with so many potatoes that the government had to pay farmers to give them away. In the White House, the Clintons gave potatoes (fried, marinated, boiled and with garlic) to princesses and presidents at official dinners.
“It was a crazy time,” says Chris Voigt, whose long career as a potato salesman began in the potato frenzy of the late 1990s. “You could literally buy buckets of fries.” But as Voigt rose in the potato industry, eventually becoming executive director of the Washington State Potato Commission, the American potato was experiencing a dramatic change in fortunes.
The average American now eats 30 percent fewer potatoes than during the vegetable’s heyday, down to an all-time low of 45 pounds per year. The decline in consumption of fresh potatoes (for boiling, roasting, mashing and steaming) has been even more rapid. In 2019, consumption of frozen potatoes surpassed that of fresh potatoes for the first time, opening a chasm that has continued to widen since the pandemic. Most of those frozen potatoes are eaten like French fries.
This has turned potato fields into battlegrounds for the future of food in the United States. In December 2023, reports emerged that the US dietary guidelines it could change declassify potatoes as vegetables, following the approach taken in Great Britain. There was such an uproar that the Secretary of the United States Department of Agriculture, Thomas Vilsack, was forced to write a letter. reassure the senators that his agency had no such plans.
That reclassification may have failed, but the potato has suffered a spectacular fall from grace. This miraculous, nutrient-rich vegetable was once the fuel of human civilization. Now the potato in the United States has become synonymous with a garbage, industrialized food system that pours profits into a handful of companies at the expense of people’s health.
America’s favorite vegetable is facing a Sophie’s Choice moment. Should we accept that fresh potatoes have lost the fight against the tide of French fries, hash browns and waffles, or is there hope for a potato renaissance? Will the humble pope be able to achieve the rehabilitation he deserves?
the white potato It is a criminally underrated food. Compared to other carbohydrate-rich staple foods like pasta, white bread or rice, potatoes are rich in vitamin C, potassium and fiber. They are also surprisingly high in protein. If you meet your daily calorie goal by eating only potatoes, you will also exceed your daily protein goal, which is 56 grams for a man between 31 and 50 years old.
Chris Voigt knows this because for 60 days in 2010 he ate nothing but potatoes. And a little oil. And once some pickle juice. But the point is that for two months Voigt did not survive on potatoes alone, but prosperous. By the end of his diet, Voigt had lost 21 pounds, his cholesterol had dropped 41 percent, and he had stopped snoring. “I think I’ve personally proven that the potato is very nutritious, no matter how you eat it: whether you boil it or fry it, bake it or steam it,” says Voigt.