Washington-Oregon Potato conference keynote focuses on nutrition

The nutritional value of potatoes will take center stage during the upcoming Washington-Oregon Potato Conference.

Keynote speaker Dayle Hayes will talk about "Potatoes, Kids and Schools: Understanding the Science, Calming the Criticism."Her talk will be at 11 a.m. Jan. 25 during the conference, which is Jan. 23-26 at the Three Rivers Convention Center in Kennewick, Wash.

"One of the really key issues here is that school lunches matter most to those who have the least,"she said.

Conference board secretary-treasurer Karen Bonaudi said nutrition is topical considering the dispute over limiting the use of potatoes in school lunch programs.