Ballarat potato grower slams negative spud study

Potato grower Dominic Prendergast has hit out at new national guidelines advising adults to eat less of the vegetable. A National Health and Medical Research Council report says Australians should reduce their potato intake by 40 per cent in order to achieve a healthy diet.

Mr Prendergast, who is chairman of the McCain Growers Group, said it was how potatoes were presented that was the issue, not the food itself. “The potatoes are not the problem, it’s what they put on them and what they cook them in. It’s the butter, the sour cream and the fat they cook them in,” he said. “(The report) doesn’t do the industry any good.”