Is Pizza really a Vegetable?

The US Congress recently shelved legislation aimed to help make school lunches more nutritious.  In addition to cancelling a ban on french fries, they also are allowing the tomato paste on pizza to be counted as a vegetable.  This is not intended to be an attack on US Food Policy--Canadian policy isn't necessarily stellar--but it should make people think about who has the biggest sway in what we eat, and who should.

School lunches in the US are big business.  Unlike our schools, the majority of students in US schools get their lunches from cafeteries, with the cost of lunches being subsidized for students with finacial difficulties.  As a result, companies can win big if they are used for school lunches, but also lose big if their foods are banned.  Obviously, food companies have a vested interest in making their foods "healthy enough" to be served in school. It was a result of their pressure that the tomato paste on pizza is now considered a vegetable.

While I'm not one to think "companies are bad, people are good", I do have to ask if politicians have the best interest of the public in mind when making nutrition decisions.  Imagine if Congress had kept the original decision.  I would think that a prudent company would start making a healthier version of french fries or pizza that would be suitable in schools--many companies do, and are quite successful at it. Why not pressure some companies to start making healthier versions of foods to serve to our students.  Aren't they worth it?

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