Ketchup-as-Vegetable Debate
The debate in the United States to ketchup as a vegetable refers to the proposal for a directive on school meals of the Ministry of Agriculture ( Department of Agriculture, USDA the) government of President Ronald Reagan in 1981, according to which, among others, ketchup and pickled vegetables no more than a Condiments , rather than a vegetable garnish. The directive would have allowed public schools to avoid having a side dish of fresh or cooked vegetables as part of a hot meal in their children's nutrition program. According to the guideline, the previously planned daily portion of a glass of milk should be reduced and the meat portion reduced to a quarter of a hamburger .
The publication of the proposed directive, which is mandatory in the United States for solicitation of public opinion, sparked outrage from nutritionists and Democratic Party politicians . The government has been accused of stinginess and indifference by the media and academics. The government replied that it was about avoiding “ plate waste ” and only serving what the students actually consume. A USDA middle political official drew even more unwanted attention to the matter when he indicated that the final decision on whether to enforce the ordinance would be made at the state level. The regulation was promoted by the clerk as an example of the return of rights to the individual states in the sense of the " new federalism ", for which Reagan had advocated during the presidential campaign in 1980. The employee's resignation the following month led to allegations that he had been fired on political grounds.
Some Democratic politicians took photographs of them eating low-nutrient meals that met the new lower standards. Newsweek magazine illustrated its report on the proposed regulation with a picture of a bottle of ketchup with the words “ now a vegetable ” on it.
After all, the government did not enforce the regulation.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Reagan's America - A Country for the Rich . In: Der Spiegel . No. 44 , 1981 ( online ).
- ↑ Bernard Weinraub: Washington Talk . In: New York Times , September 28, 1981, late edition
- ↑ Cecil Adams : Did the Reagan-era USDA really classify ketchup as a vegetable? In: The Straight Dope , July 16, 2004
- ↑ Who Deserves a Break Today? In: Newsweek , September 21, 1981