Politicians once unsuccessfully tried to designate tomato catsup (aka ketchup, catchup) as a vegetable serving to satisfy nutritional guidelines for school lunch programs.
Nevermind that fourth-grade science textbooks correctly designate the tomato as a fruit, not a vegetable.
Two tablespoons of tomato paste now are a congressionally approved serving of vegetables if lathered on a pizza slice served to students.
No political effort was made to limit french fries and salt in meals for increasing numbers of overweight and obese children at risk of developing diabetes and other diet-related illnesses.
It's all about bending over for America's packaged-food industry, which spends about $6 million annually to lobby against stronger nutritional standards.
Republicans and Democrats can't agree on resolving America's economic crisis, but can agree on turning junk food into a vegetable.
Michelle should convince her husband to veto that offensive portion of the agriculture appropriations bill. (27 NOVEMBER 2011)
