As long as the seed potato is not treated to kill fungus and what not, you can eat them but how can one tell? The seed program your friend was involved with sounds interesting. I have an experiment going now, an orchard of hybrid fruit trees and an orchard of heirloom fruit trees, which is better for a lazy guy who hates to spray and prune? I'm thinking the heirloom trees will be standing long after the hybrid trees are firewood.