The Potato in the Human Diet

Since the latter half of the twentieth century, the rate of increase in potato production in developing countries has outpaced growth rates of most other major food crops. When this book was first published in 1987, the potato was being produced in 132 of the 167 independent countries of the world and more than three billion people, 75 per cent of the world’s population at the time, inhabited the 95 developing countries that produced potatoes. As potato cultivation continues to expand at a rapid pace, particularly in the tropics, more attention has been directed towards understanding and improving the nutritional contribution potatoes can make to the human diet. The book reviews the knowledge about the nutritional value of the potato and its role in the nutrition of both children and adults. The synthesis presented in this volume will be of value to students and research workers in nutrition and food science in both developed and developing countries. Dieticians, nutritionists, policy makers and aid personnel involved in agricultural and rural development will also find this book informative and of practical use.