Potato farmers are hoping a nationwide campaign to counter the low-carb diet fad will help shrink their growing stockpiles of spuds.
In North Dakota, growers and processors had the equivalent of 11.2-million, hundred-pound bags of potatoes on hand as of April 1. That's a 42 percent increase over last year and a record level for the date. While some of the increase in stocks is due to a bigger crop, a drop in demand also is a factor.
The U.S. Potato Board is launching a campaign aimed at promoting the healthy aspects of potatoes. A spokesman for the group says low-carb regimens, such as the Atkins Diet, have affected potato sales.