French Fries as Vegetables

I was listening to National Public Radio a couple weeks ago, and I heard a story about how the USDA is trying to change school menus to reduce the amount of french fries the kids are served. The point was to try to fight childhood obesity.

The story on NPR pointed out that Senator Susan Collins and others were fighting the proposed regulations. Here is the story.

One of the things that surprised me was the discussion about french fries (potatoes) versus "other vegetables." I get that potatoes are tubers and vegetables, but it's just odd to hear that someone might choose between french fries and broccoli as a vegetable for dinner.

So, in the 1980s, were french fries and ketchup counted as two servings of vegetables?