I'd like a half cup of tomato paste, please.

So yesterday I noticed in the news there were quite a few headlines regarding congress and the decision to label pizza as a "vegetable", or more specifically, the tomato paste on pizza.  About two tablespoons-worth.

Initially, the USDA wanted to classify a vegetable serving size of tomato paste as 1/2 cup, way too much for just a slice of pizza...so that would mean pizza would no longer meet the qualifications of a federally funded school lunch program (which says kids need a specific # of servings of vegetables per meal).

Enter Congress:  I'll refrain from getting into politics, or other "conspiratorial" opinions...but I'll just say, darn, those lobbyists from frozen foods companies are goooooood.

I'm not really sure what else to say, I'm not even sure "outrageous" even comes close to how absurd this whole thing is.  I get that tomato paste was once partly a real vegetable (or fruit, for you tomato purists) and therefore contains some vitamins or other benefits.  But as we all know, it's not just tomato paste you're eating on a pizza - you're eating highly processed pizza dough and greasy, fat laden dairy cheese along with it.  Can you seriously look me in the eyes and say those two things have health benefits without emitting a giggle or outright laugh?  I liken it to babying your car - getting it detailed, tuned up, new tires and then ramming it into a fertilizer truck.  Or maybe saving up all your money buying a whole new wardrobe, then shredding everything as soon as you get home.  Or better yet, buy a new house then set fire to it.  Hopefully the water you left running in the bathroom kept that part of the house from burning down.  That was smart thinking. 

Just because you ate some tomato sauce on bread with cheese doesn't mean the entire thing is healthy...and calling it a "vegetable" so that you can mislead kids or even parents into thinking they're doing themselves a favor is pretty darn reckless, especially in light of the fact it's now recommended kids as young as nine need to be screened for high cholesterol. 

Sheesh. 

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Footnote:  found the following "quotes" which bear sharing from Inside Scoop SF

• “Got it, everyone? Your kids can continue stuffing their faces with as much frozen pizza as they want now. It’s essentially the same thing as eating celery.” — Gawker
• “I only hope that jellybeans continue to enjoy protected legume status.” — Gawker comments
• “Thinking about planting pizza in my garden next spring, now that Congress says it is a vegetable. Anyone know where I can buy pizza seeds? — Leo Thomas McGarry