Tuesday, by act of Congress, pizza was declared a vegetable. The Spending Bill before our elected officials contained an Agriculture Department provision recognizing that school kids are dangerously obese, and that subsidizing school lunches of frozen pizza and french fries is unwise and unhealthy. The Congressional response: a slice of pizza = a serving of vegetables.
The American Frozen Food Institute spent over $5 million convincing Congress to protect their juicy $11 billion annual school lunch harvest from the pestilence of nutritional common sense, and they prevailed. Result: kids will still eat government-subsidized carbs, fat, and salt, and Big Food will get fatter, too.
In other farm news, Monsanto announced that Roundup-Ready Pizza Seeds will be available in time for spring planting, and February pizza crop futures rose at the Chicago Board of Trade after predictions of increased Super Bowl party demand.
More:
“Is Pizza a Vegetable? In School Lunches, Congress Says Yes,” Michele McNeil, Education Week blog
“Pizza Counts as a Vegetable? How the Spending Bill in Congress Could Unravel Progress on School Nutrition,” Mark Bishop, Healthy Schools Campaign
“Retired Generals and Admirals Tell Congress: Just Say No to Pizza as a Vegetable in School Lunches” (press release)
“Congressional Magicians Attempt To Transform Pizza Into A Vegetable,” Doug Berry, Jezebel
“Potato politics, with a pizza side,” David Rogers, Politico
“Everyone’s Favorite Vegetable, Frozen Pizza,” Tom Philpott, Mother Jones
Related:
“Dietary Guidelines for Americans,” Health.gov
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Tags: children, Congress, food, frozen food, health, junk food, K-12, nutrition, pizza, school lunch program, school lunches, USDA, vegetables
NotionsCapital 
November 16, 2011 at 1:51 am
At least maybe we’ll get another documentary out of Morgan Spurlock. http://rawfulnews.com/
November 16, 2011 at 2:28 am
[…] Follow this link: Congress Reaps Pizza Harvest « NotionsCapital […]
November 16, 2011 at 9:16 am
[…] […]
November 16, 2011 at 9:17 am
If pizza can, with the right lobbying I presume wine or heroin could be deemed vegetables.
November 16, 2011 at 9:22 am
What would Shanks have said?
November 16, 2011 at 9:26 am
Astounding!
November 16, 2011 at 9:27 am
Oh For god sake. This is why US governments don’t work out. Presidents says A, congres says B, citizens complain. And i’m dutch, i have nothing to do with it and it’s obvious to me.
November 16, 2011 at 9:43 am
[…] this one under the SMH category. God bless Congress and their ability to be persuaded. Tuesday, by act of Congress, pizza was declared a vegetable. The Spending Bill before our […]
November 16, 2011 at 9:45 am
So if you eat pizza with vegetable toppings does that make it DOUBLE VEGETABLE??
November 16, 2011 at 9:52 am
Where is Congress going to find the $$$ to pay the additional health costs for the future generations of children getting their vegetables from a cheese pizza?
November 16, 2011 at 9:56 am
does meatlovers pizza count as a veggie? what if it has white sauce? hmmmm…. i cry BS. just like katchup as a veggie….
November 16, 2011 at 9:59 am
I don’t want to live on this planet anymore
November 16, 2011 at 10:09 am
Why not substitute pizza for salad in congressional cafeteria. That would be perfect justice!!
November 16, 2011 at 10:40 am
[…] some House Republicans decided that, for the sake of school lunches, pizza ought to be considered a vegetable. More precisely, what is being delcared a vegetable the pizza sauce that’s used on top of a lump […]
November 16, 2011 at 10:40 am
I think its important to include the bit from the AP article that “tomato paste on pizzas to be counted as a vegetable”
Not the pizza itself.
It is still all ridiculous, but the specifics make it a little less ridiculous
November 16, 2011 at 10:50 am
[…] […]
November 16, 2011 at 11:58 am
Please tell me this is an April Fool!!!!
November 16, 2011 at 12:19 pm
The comments and the mentality of most of these comments are LAUGHABLE. If you want ur little Johnny growing up on seaweed, bag him a lunch! Our kids aren’t getting fatter because of what they eat. No, it’s because you idiot parents LET them sit on they’re playstaion or computer or whatever instead of sending them outside to run around and play. FACT, I have 3 boys ages 12, 10, and 7. We have pizza EVERY FRIDAY, eat at Mcdonalds, eat beef, chicken pork whatever, and we have NO obesity in our family. No one has a bmi over 26% and I am 47, mine is the one 26% It is time to wake up and smell the coffee. They took the soda machines out of school, did it make a difference? NO. The key to life, no matter what it is, is MODERATION. You want to look like a skeleton, that’s you’re choice. But don’t push it on me or my family. Personally, I think women with that sucked in face, and weigh 100 lbs, look sickening. Example Kate Snow. She looks terrible, as does that Joy dietician that’s on the Today show. You people with agendas like this need therapy.
November 16, 2011 at 12:24 pm
[…] does this mean I can have pizza again? Thanks, Congress. Heh. « […]
November 16, 2011 at 12:30 pm
[…] via Congress Reaps Pizza Harvest « NotionsCapital. […]
November 16, 2011 at 12:38 pm
my brain just fell out
November 16, 2011 at 12:41 pm
Joseph Twardzik whilst you’re right about moderation, that’s clearly the problem with you Americans. You don’t understand that word. I think it’s you that needs to “wake up and smell the coffee” considering America’s colossal obesity problem. Jamie Oliver went over to help you people and you laughed in his face when he tried to change school meals. You won’t be laughing when in a few years your country can’t handle the cost of care for all these people. Your debt problems are bad enough. Absolutely shameful.
November 16, 2011 at 12:43 pm
What the problem really is, is that our food industry is subject to capitalist forces, wherein producers put cheap production costs before quality. That money equals political power makes matters so much worse, because that means that corporations can easily fund armies of lawers to tackle every case made against them, and pay for lobbyists who very effectively win over congress. Check out the excellent documentary Food Inc for some thought provoking exposures (Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5eKYyD14d_0)
November 16, 2011 at 12:47 pm
I’m hope as many comments are being forwarded to the politicians that made the decision. Also to he gentlemen that people here have an agenda, the agenda was obviously the politicians being prompted to do something that is clearly a falsehood in declaring pizza a vegetable. However, you are definitely right that today’s youth need more activity and that moderation is needed in the consumption of fast foods. But that in no way changes the outrigjt lunacy of what congress did.
November 16, 2011 at 12:49 pm
Meanwile in U.S
November 16, 2011 at 1:12 pm
Deep fried Mars bars in batter have long been a staple vegetable in Glasgow, Scotland. you sasenachs are sooo behind the times
November 16, 2011 at 1:38 pm
I died a little inside when I heard about this.
November 16, 2011 at 2:05 pm
[…] Capital posted a good list of coverage of the issue and Obama Foodorama has a nice summary of what the bill means and prior […]
November 16, 2011 at 2:20 pm
Fun way to attract a lot of attention to your blog by posting a falsification that is close to the truth. This is what MSNBC says:
“The bill also would allow tomato paste on pizzas to be counted as a vegetable, as it is now. ”
So yes tomato (technically a fruit but ok) paste would be counted as vegetables. Ok this is still very questionable but not nearly as laughable as this headline suggest.
November 16, 2011 at 2:35 pm
R: If kids each chug a cup of tomato paste for lunch, you (and Congress) would be correct. But how much paste is on a slice of pizza, a tablespoon? Some “serving.”
November 16, 2011 at 2:41 pm
Proves again that everything can be bought, even common sense. Very, very sad…
November 16, 2011 at 4:04 pm
Being skinny doesn’t make you healthy, you ignorant arse…
“We have pizza every day and we’re not fat!!!” Oh my God, seriously??!! America, no wonder you’re screwed.
November 16, 2011 at 4:10 pm
It’s ok, purple is a fruit
November 16, 2011 at 5:44 pm
My friend was told she needed a doctors note for her daughter so she wouldn’t have to have a “dairy” item which is either skim-milk, strawberry milk, chocolate milk, or a sugared up yogurt. If I were a kid, I wouldn’t want to have “dairy” either. It’s just high fructose corn syrup in watered down cow juice. C’mon now. maybe next time high fructose corn syrup will count as the veggie. Gross.
November 17, 2011 at 6:25 am
FACT – Joseph Twardizik’s comment is LAUGHABLE because he’s BLIND to the real issue here and would rather RANT about his prejudices and self righteousness. This case is more like pushing PIZZA on EVERYONE ELSE’s children but he can’t see that because everything is about HIM. Just because YOU eat pizza every week does NOT mean that it’s a vegetable and even if it’s just the sauce, that’s not a decision made because of HEALTH or NUTRITION but instead because of LOBBYING and PRIVATE INTEREST. Framing everything in terms of your personal liberty is paranoid and completely unnecessary as NO ONE is saying YOU can’t feed YOUR kids pizza or ANYTHING else.
Instead one of your five a day will be tomato sauce. FYI the Italians don’t count pizza or even pasta sauce as a vegetable unless it’s you know, FILLED WITH VEGETABLES.
November 17, 2011 at 8:55 am
Nicely written !!!
November 17, 2011 at 10:27 am
To be fair, as my five year pointed out, pizza should actually be a fruit, since tomatoes are technically not vegetables.
November 17, 2011 at 12:41 pm
[…] HUffington Post: Struggling Families Depend More on School Lunches GOOD Magazine: Do Healthier School Lunches Curb Bad Behavior? USA Today: Congress Pushes Back on Healthier School Lunches MSNBC: Pizza as Vegetable? Congress Says Yes Notions Capital: “Is Pizza a Vegetable? In School Lunches, Congress Says Yes,” Michele McNeil […]
November 17, 2011 at 2:25 pm
Personal responsibility people!!! You are responsible for what you eat. Companies are trying to make money, all you need to do is say no I won’t buy your product.
November 17, 2011 at 2:34 pm
[…] Gothamist and Notions Capital. Like us on facebook! This entry was posted in Food, Politics by St. Shley. Bookmark the […]
November 17, 2011 at 2:42 pm
Congratulations, American Frozen Food Institute. You are evil and should be destroyed. Sleep tight.
November 17, 2011 at 4:26 pm
[…] them too much. And so they teamed up with those big food producing companies, and lobbied. From NotionsCapital:The American Frozen Food Institute spent over $5 million convincing Congress to protect their juicy […]
November 17, 2011 at 4:39 pm
[…] […]
November 17, 2011 at 5:38 pm
This makes complete sense that the government thinks that pizza is vegetables. They’re delusional biased thinking that has torn apart the country is the only thing that could make such a thing seem plausible. If a hammer can cost $10k on government budget, why can’t pizza be vegetables? They just want one thing to be another so they wave a magic wand and poof, they benefit and everyone else is harmed. Nice going government.
November 17, 2011 at 6:13 pm
Wait ..isn’t Tomatoes a fruit?
November 17, 2011 at 7:16 pm
Pepperoni Is Not a Vegetable (and neither is pizza): http://www.pepperoniisnotavegetable.com
This is so, so disappointing.
November 17, 2011 at 7:28 pm
UPDATE:
By popular demand, pizza seeds.
Short link: http://bit.ly/uVvNI3
November 17, 2011 at 8:56 pm
[…] Well, they do if the industry gives them lots of money. […]
November 17, 2011 at 9:38 pm
@ Joseph Twardzik :
Just because your children aren’t obese doesn’t mean they’re not unhealthy. Eating the diet you just described is not only unhealthy but not everyone can afford to get their kids Mcdonalds, beef, chicken etc and they rely on government funded lunches, “free lunch” to feed their children at school. Yes, exercise is good and necessary but your health doesn’t just require exercise- you need to eat healthy too! Also, not everyone can consume meat-some people can’t digest it! When I went to school I was very disappointed at what was being offered- I have severe IBS and I was also a vegetarian at the time. I can’t consume the standard lunches of pizza, burgers, tacos, hotdogs and french fries that was being offered. I was lucky enough, however, to have parents that could finance my lunch and I could bring my own BUT NOT EVERYONE has that luxury. It’s great that your kids exercise but exercise isn’t everything. And not everyone is lucky enough to live like my family or yours. Just some “food” for thought. 🙂
November 17, 2011 at 10:15 pm
Congress is a vegetable.
November 18, 2011 at 12:31 am
[…] shouldn’t be involved in telling kids how to eat, why did the American Frozen Food Institute spend $5 million to influence Congress on these rules? I would think that greasing the palms of your local elected official would get them to work for […]
November 18, 2011 at 4:21 am
Hopefully Monsanto can genetically engineer those seeds to contain a dose of insulin and a hypodermic needle too
MC
http://www.CulturedSavages.com
November 18, 2011 at 11:58 am
[…] of the seed catalogs that have arrived here, but Congress in its infinite wisdom has this week declared pizza a vegetable. Our nation’s children don’t have a chance with such genius at work (nor, I fear, do we […]
November 18, 2011 at 2:28 pm
As a Brit I was amazed by this blog and initially thought it was a hoax (I am still unconvinced it is not) In this day and age we are all aware of what a healthy diet is and are more than capable of choosing whether to eat healthily or not. Whether pizza is to be classed as a vegtable purely on the basis of its tomato paste topping is besides the point. What is worrying is that a large food company can influence a governmental decision by the use of ‘backhanders’ (something that would lead to lengthy inquiries, serious questions in the House of Commons and ultimate ‘resignations’ here in the UK.) Also, if as stated, school meals consist solely of pizzas, hot dogs, burgers, chips (french fries) and the like with no healthy alternative then something is very wrong with what ever government department that is responsible for childrens health in the US. In answer to the Scot who bragged about ‘deep fat fryed Mars Bars’ I feel I should point out that Scotland has one of the highest records for heart problems in Europe.
November 19, 2011 at 9:46 am
[…] Read more Posted by doc0c at 8:46 AM […]
November 20, 2011 at 9:30 am
[…] Via: notionscapital.wordpress.com […]
November 20, 2011 at 10:27 am
What can we expect from nutritional morons?
Money has always been above the welfare of our citizens!
November 21, 2011 at 11:55 am
[…] notionscapital […]
November 21, 2011 at 12:22 pm
http://journaldelageekette.wordpress.com/2011/11/21/pizza-legume/
November 21, 2011 at 12:58 pm
From “vegetabilizing” a Pizza thru … so many impressive things 😉 God bless America for being the place where anything is possible … that we would die seeing in our own place.
November 22, 2011 at 1:30 pm
[…] Re: U.S. Congress Declares Pizza a Vegtable! Originally Posted by Swatze82 I would love a source for this and a tomato still hasn't been determined a fruit or a vegetable. This isn't the exact one, but it's close enough […]
November 25, 2011 at 5:39 am
For the benefit of our politicians in congress, I have listed the dictionary definition of vegetable (below).
2012 is near and we will all have a chance to elect some ‘educated chefs’ to replace our ‘veggies’ in congress. (LOL)
veg·e·ta·ble (vjt-bl, vj-t-)
n.
1.
a. A plant cultivated for an edible part, such as the root of the beet, the leaf of spinach, or the flower buds of broccoli or cauliflower.
b. The edible part of such a plant.
c. A member of the vegetable kingdom; a plant.
2. Offensive Slang One who is severely impaired mentally and physically, as by brain injury or disease.
3. One who is regarded as dull, passive, or unresponsive.
January 27, 2012 at 9:23 am
[…] all of the “pizza is a vegetable” brouhaha this fall, Michelle Obama announced on Wednesday the updated USDA guidelines for […]
March 26, 2012 at 4:54 am
America never fails to embarass itself, and be hilarious in the process :”D Good luck you fat people.
May 4, 2012 at 12:15 pm
[…] is REPORTED HERE that “by act of Congress, pizza was declared a vegetable. The Spending Bill before our […]
January 1, 2013 at 6:56 pm
[…] hard-hitting think piece, ”Oreo Cookie Centennial.” Best ever? 48,132 views of “Congress Reaps Pizza Harvest“ on November 17, 2011. Total views since August 2007: […]