Pizza is a vegetable!!!
Pizza is a vegetable. When you read it you think it's a joke. And it sounds like a joke too, but on closer inspection it turns out to be a very bad joke and it is deadly serious because the U.S. Congress has ruled that pizza is vegetable.
Let’s first take a look at the history. No one will be surprised that the U.S. suffer from a problem with obesity in children. Not surprising if you ever have been in the U.S. and have seen the all you can eat buffets and know that what is here in the Netherlands at McDonald's is Large, is only Medium in the U.S. . Small does not exist. With school lunches it is no different. They are for children from disadvantaged families and they can get a free lunch or a lunch for one dollar. But that lunch is usually too salty, too fat, too few in whole grains and vegetables are hard to find.
Thus the Ministry of Agriculture of Obama's government went down to work, supported by the First Lady, Michele Obama, who had particularly active role in this. The aim was to make school lunches healthier: less salt, less fat, more whole grains and vegetables. That resulted in a list of demands that a school lunch should comply to.
Good initiative, one would think. But not in the U.S.. Such a thing must be approved by Congress (House of Representatives) and in Congress the Republicans have the majority. Oh, but do you think, Republicans are not in favor of healthier school lunches? Maybe, but not one year before the presidential election. The Republicans are busier anyway with how Obama could lose the election than how rhey can win it themselves
Pizza is a vegetable. When you read it you think it's a joke. And it sounds like a joke too, but on closer inspection it turns out to be a very bad joke and it is deadly serious because the U.S. Congress has ruled that pizza is vegetable.
Let’s first take a look at the history. No one will be surprised that the U.S. suffer from a problem with obesity in children. Not surprising if you ever have been in the U.S. and have seen the all you can eat buffets and know that what is here in the Netherlands at McDonald's is Large, is only Medium in the U.S. . Small does not exist. With school lunches it is no different. They are for children from disadvantaged families and they can get a free lunch or a lunch for one dollar. But that lunch is usually too salty, too fat, too few in whole grains and vegetables are hard to find.
Thus the Ministry of Agriculture of Obama's government went down to work, supported by the First Lady, Michele Obama, who had particularly active role in this. The aim was to make school lunches healthier: less salt, less fat, more whole grains and vegetables. That resulted in a list of demands that a school lunch should comply to.
Good initiative, one would think. But not in the U.S.. Such a thing must be approved by Congress (House of Representatives) and in Congress the Republicans have the majority. Oh, but do you think, Republicans are not in favor of healthier school lunches? Maybe, but not one year before the presidential election. The Republicans are busier anyway with how Obama could lose the election than how rhey can win it themselves
Strengthened by the concern of school districts if it all would remain affordable, the reduction of salt and fat in school lunches were deleted and more whole grains disappeared from the original proposal. But what really knocks your socks off: Congress determined that the concentrated tomato paste that is used on pizzas , pizza’s can be seen as vegetable
As a pizza lover, without knowing, I have eaten more vegetables than I thought I did.
Reasoning of the Republicans was that the government should not interfere with what children eat and that it would be fine that children can decide for themselves.
Yes, yes .... I am myself childhood, so consider myself an expert witness: as a child you have no eye for a balanced diet.
About the cost issue, I can say this: in Britain, Jamie Oliver showed that for the same money or even less healthy lunches can be made that the English children liked, some after some urging for even in England is what the farmer does not know, he won’t eat.
So while the Republicans are busy with each proposal to torpedo Obama, which is so utterly ridiculous the best the White House can do is to hire Jamie Oliver have a camera there and then broadcast nationwide.
And another tip for the Democratic Party: do not ridicule Republicans or Congress, they do a very good job themselves......
