Good news about potatoes and potassium spreads fast

Farm and Ranch Report October 19, 2011 Key media influencers have been quick to disperse to consumers the research results they learned about potatoes and potassium at the American Dietetic Association’s Food and Nutrition Conference and Expo held in late September.

Myers: “We saw more than 231 media outlooks had covered the story for a total of more than 20-million impressions, which is just an outstanding result.”

Meredith Myers, U.S. Potato Board Public Relations Manager. She says a special luncheon was held at the conference for media dietitians where they heard about Potato Board funded research showing that potatoes are the lowest cost source of dietary potassium, a nutrient identified by the 2010 Dietary Guidelines as lacking in the American diet. White potatoes as a source of potassium are half the cost of other vegetables.

Myers says results are still coming in as a result of that influencer luncheon. Like a well known registered dietician on a Chicago morning TV show just last week talking about healthy tailgating.

Myers: “And her chili-filled baked potato skins were the star of this show. The newscasters were just eating it up, “Oh my gosh I have never seen potato skins served so healthfully.”

And the American Dietetic Association’s own website, eatright.org has potatoes in its list of the healthiest fall foods.

Myers: “That website gets more than a million visitors a month.”

That’s the U.S. Potato Update. Brought to you by the United States Potato Board, maximizing return on grower investment. I’m Bob Hoff for Northwest Aginfo Net.