Potatoes to officially have their day on May 30

Mark your calendars, potato lovers. The humble spud is getting an international day dedicated to it.

The first International Day of Potato will be celebrated on May 30 with a theme of “Harvesting diversity, feeding hope.”

In December 2023, the United Nations General Assembly officially proclaimed the potato’s day of honor in recognition of the universal appeal of the vegetable, consumed by more than one billion people around the world. The proclamation capped years of campaigning by the World Potato Congress, which first championed the idea in 2021.

Multiple countries caught on and began engaging with the UN’s Food and Agricultural Organization, according to a WPC news release.

The official declaration, released in six languages, celebrates potatoes as the world’s third-most consumed food, grown in 159 countries with 5,000 global varieties cultivated. Tracing the spud’s journey from its Andes roots, the proclamation heralds the potato as “a beacon of food security and a pillar of sustainable agriculture.”