tom_thinks
Wednesday, June 16, 2004
Following the Footsteps of the 'Great Communicator'
Remember back during the 'golden years' of Ronald Reagan, when they tried to classify ketchup as a vegetable? In a possible attempt to further exploit the current nostalgia for those glory days of old, Bush's USDA has ruled that frozen French fries are "fresh vegetables." See, Bush is just like Ronald Reagan!!! From the L.A. Times (via CommonDreams)
The Frozen Potato Products Institute appealed to the USDA in 2000 to change its definition of fresh produce under PACA to include batter-coated, frozen French fries, arguing that rolling potato slices in a starch coating, frying them and freezing them is the equivalent of waxing a cucumber or sweetening a strawberry.
The USDA agreed and, on June 2, 2003, the agency amended its PACA rules to include what is described in court documents as the "Batter-Coating Rule." ... A federal judge in Texas last week endorsed the USDA's decision in a court case.
U.S. District Judge Richard Schell said the term "fresh vegetables" was ambiguous.
posted by Tom, 6/16/2004 11:16:00 AM
