Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent steps his Department has taken to promote potatoes as part of a healthy diet.

The Government recommends eating plenty of starchy foods, including potatoes, as part of a healthy balanced diet, as depicted in the ‘eatwell plate'. This provides a visual representation of the types and proportions of the foods needed for a healthy, balanced diet and advises that starchy foods, such as potatoes, breads, cereals, rice and pasta should make up about a third of our diet.

The Government utilises the eatwell plate alongside other mechanisms to promote the consumption of starchy foods, such as potatoes. This includes providing tips on healthy eating through the Live Well pages of the NHS Choices website and recipes through Public Health England's social marketing campaign, Change4Life.