PORTLAND, Maine (AP) -- The potato is on the verge of being virtually banished from the nation's school lunch program, but not if Sens. Susan Collins of Maine and Mark Udall of Colorado have anything to say about it.

Collins, who grew up in Maine's potato country and picked potatoes as a girl, wants to restore some respect to the humble spud, a popular and inexpensive item in school lunches.

New guidelines proposed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture would eliminate potatoes altogether from school breakfasts and drastically reduce the amount of potatoes served in lunches.

Collins says potatoes are healthy and nutritious, as long as they're not fried. She and Udall are attempting to withhold funding for implementing the rules.