It’s hard to believe that a single vegetable can be the arch enemy of the cafeteria line. We’ve talked plenty about the high caloric count that seems representative of the school lunch program. Jamie Oliver created a Revolution around it and top chefs have joined First Lady Michelle Obama to create front page awareness of the startling and disturbing childhood obesity numbers. Can one food, a vegetable in fact, the lowly potato, mash up such emotion?

According to the USDA, the blame rests with the potato, and the Department wants to cut back its prominence in the school lunch program. Irony of ironies: The Agriculture Department has identified the white potato as its top villain, but the Idaho Potato Commission just received top marks from the American Heart Association for the spud’s benefits. Who’s the villain?

Let me think about that. Is one food responsible for the rise in obesity, diabetes, or heart-related issues? Can there be a negative super-food? Potatoes, even white potatoes, can be served in a number of ways–schools are making adjustments to the fried mentality. Rather than blame one food or one color of food, let’s concentrate on the reality: Overeating is the arch enemy, and we CAN do something about it. At the same time, we cannot lose sight of childhood hunger issues. The School Lunch Program (which for many youngsters now also includes a breakfast tray) is important and in more cases than we want to count, may be the primary sustenance for a significant part of the population.

We can cut back on fried foods and try to introduce additional vegetables into our diets, but remember not everyone’s food budget has the same monetary input. Oliver drew attention to the fact that many of the children and the parents in his test community had no familiarity with fresh vegetables. We can make changes, but we do not need to point fingers at the simple spud. It is not the root cause of the problem! The potato industry has, of course, galvanized its members with a strategic program: Keep Potatoes in School.

Sure the sweet potato appears as the potato survivor, but the school lunch program needs continual, additional re-imaging. The focus must be greater than just delivering the potato its death knell.