Why Is Pizza Considered A Vegetable In US Schools?

[AMCNUT]

As the title says, why?

Perhaps one of GTPlanet's resident Americans can explain why their government sees fit to make decisions like these... it sounds utterly ridiculous to me.

Apparently "a slice of pizza will continue to qualify as a vegetable because it contains two tablespoons of tomato paste."

Does that not sound wrong? Or am I missing something here?

News Article

 

[hampus_dh]

That is the most ridiculous i´ve ever heard in my life.

 

[Grand Prix]

Tomatoes are fruit too, not a vegetable.

 

[Lain]

It's because the world is run by money. And if it takes less money to call pizza a vegetable than to serve a balanced and nutritious meal, then guess what? Screw the children, money wins.

 

[Northstar]

It's not just pizza, school lunch standards are overall poor here. Perhaps kids would eat healthier if they would try to make food that is healthy, tastes good and is actually decent quality. I remember when I was in school nobody ate the fruit because half the time it was partially rotten(buns were also often stale). Basically the only thing with any flavor was the crap that wasn't that healthy.

It also makes me mad when schools do crap like this, I've ate the food before, the turkey sandwich on wheat bread is healthier than anything at a school.

 

[Small_Fryz]

What about Vegetarian Pizza?

 

[prisonermonkeys]

It also makes me mad when schools do crap like this, I've ate the food before, the turkey sandwich on wheat bread is healthier than anything at a school.

Ah, but, reading that article, the packed lunches were banned because the students were bringing unhealthy foods to schools. It's not like the school banned healthy food because their cafeteria suppliers complained about it.

 

[Cowboys965]

I get to eat pizza for lunch! But cheaper alternative brands aren't that good after they change something. But a vegetable? Really? Lol.

 

[Pupik]

Ah, but, reading that article, the packed lunches were banned because the students were bringing unhealthy foods to schools. It's not like the school banned healthy food because their cafeteria suppliers complained about it.

That, and they can prevent peanut allergies from infecting 0.05% of the student body.

Still ridiculous.

 

[Tornado]

It's not like the school banned healthy food because their cafeteria suppliers complained about it.

Actually, it was probably exactly that.

 

[hampus_dh]

What about Vegetarian Pizza?

It´s still a pizza no matter what you put on the got damn thing
Vegetarians does not only eat vegetables if that´s what you are wondering.

 

[rocko100]

Next time my mom tells me to eat more veggies...

 

[Northstar]

Ah, but, reading that article, the packed lunches were banned because the students were bringing unhealthy foods to schools. It's not like the school banned healthy food because their cafeteria suppliers complained about it.

So?

I should have the option to send my kid to school with a home lunch if I don't think what the school is serving is healthy for my child. If the school thinks my child is only eating unhealthy foods they should, I don't know, tell me, not take away the option.

I should also add that when I was in school they sold 1/4 pound cookies and malts, not exactly healthy. That may have changed, but I doubt it.

 

[Grand Prix]

What about Vegetarian Pizza?

 

[prisonermonkeys]

Actually, it was probably exactly that.

You evidently didn't read the article then. It never speciically states that the cafeteria was providing unhealthy food, but it does say that packed lunches were banned because they were unhealthy and because a lot of food in the cafeteria was being wasted because students did not like it. The implication is that the cafeteria was serving healthy (or at least healthier) food that was going to waste.

 

[Northstar]

You evidently didn't read the article then. It never specifically states that the cafeteria was providing unhealthy food, but it does say that packed lunches were banned because they were unhealthy and because a lot of food in the cafeteria was being wasted because students did not like it. The implication is that the cafeteria was serving healthy (or at least healthier) food that was going to waste.

Oh, but it does.

after realizing that a typical lunch in a CPS cafeteria clocked in at 800 calories.

Here is an article dealing with that figure as well, the study was done by students themselves, they want healthier food.

 

[Tornado]

You evidently didn't read the article then

Did you? Because you are drawing conclusions from it that the article doesn't support or outright contradicts. For example:

The implication is that the cafeteria was serving healthy (or at least healthier) food that was going to waste.

That isn't implied at all.

"Students did not like it" in no way means that they didn't like it because it was healthy. All it means is that they didn't want it, and banning food unless the school sold it to them doesn't mean they are going to want it any more than they did before.

 

[Azuremen]

You evidently didn't read the article then. It never speciically states that the cafeteria was providing unhealthy food, but it does say that packed lunches were banned because they were unhealthy and because a lot of food in the cafeteria was being wasted because students did not like it. The implication is that the cafeteria was serving healthy (or at least healthier) food that was going to waste.

You certainly know how to write well, sadly you can't seem to argue a point well.

Very little rational thought goes into much of what happens at schools. And the lunches they serve are more or less a joke because healthy food costs money. And I do like how the government apparently dictates what kids can eat at school, when most likely their parents are packing those lunches.

It isn't the job of my tax dollars to feed kids "better" food than what their parents have decided.

 

[Grayfox]

. Perhaps kids would eat healthier if they would try to make food that is healthy, tastes good and is actually decent quality.

Someone tried, he ended up being banned from all U.S schools.

His name is Jamie Oliver.

 

[Joey D]

That, and they can prevent peanut allergies from infecting 0.05% of the student body.

Still ridiculous.

The whole peanut allergy thing irritates me to no end. I was talking with my cousin the other night and her daughter recently started attending school all day and had to bring a lunch. Her kid loves peanut butter and jelly sandwiches but she's not allowed to bring them in her lunch because 1 kid out of several hundred students is allergic. I don't understand why the food choices of hundreds must be changed for one kid. And you know eventually that kid is going to grow up and get a job, do you think that the workplace will ban peanut butter? Probably not.

And why are there so many peanut allergies now? When I was younger and in elementary school one girl had a peanut allergy. Now it seems like every kid has one, it's becoming the new "fad diagnosis" like ADD/ADHA or Aspergers (not to say there aren't many legitimate diagnosis).

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Re: Banning Home Packed Lunches

I would send my kid to school with one anyways. They can't be force to eat the crap cafeterias sell. I'd just claim some cultural reason or something and say it's against his religion to eat ground up cardboard and gym mats in the shape of familiar foods.

I know my grandma would always pack my lunches when I was younger and it was pretty balanced. I had the old PB&J with some sort of veggie, mostly celery, and one cookie. I also received a quarter to buy milk.

I think it's ridiculous to ban home packed lunches, getting a lunch from my grandma was always the highlight of my day and I'm sure many other kids feel the same way.

===

Re: Pizza as a Veggie

I'm so glad Congress was hammering the details out on this instead of trying to get the country out of debt, figuring out how to solve unemployment or actually doing anything remotely productive...OK that last one was a bit much to ask for.

 

[Crispy]

On the peanut allergy thing, honestly, well I'm not going to post it up. It involves natural selection, darwinism, all that and would honestly end up in me being yelled at!

Pizza, a vegetable? I didn't believe the government could do something any more stupid until I saw this.

 

[Famine]

Interesting.

One thing we're always being told to do over here is to eat "5 portions of fruits and vegetables a day". A slice of pizza isn't a vegetable, but if it contains "two tablespoons of tomato paste" it would qualify as one portion of fruits and vegetables - two tablespoons of tomato paste doesn't stop being one portion of fruits and vegetables if you put it on some bread and cover it with cheese. It wouldn't stop being one portion of fruits and vegetables if you put it on chocolate and served it inside a shark.


This rather strikes me as a stupid, fabricated headline designed to promote claims of institutional stupidity - the decision was not to (continue to) allow pizza to be classed as a vegetable, but to not increase the qualification for "one portion of fruits and vegetables" from two tablespoons of tomato paste to one half cup of tomato paste.

Not that the US Agriculture Department of House of Representatives should be making that decision for adults or, in fact, getting involved in any way.

 

[DK]

Damn, I'm jealous.

 

[Omnis]

Funnily enough, here at the cafeteria at FSU, pizzas are only one of two ways to get vegetables that don't taste terrible. It's so easy to make good food, but when you have lunch ladies and/or staff that doesn't give a crap, then you're left with what we have.

 

[Dotini]

My take is that diabetes and obesity acquired by Americans (and indeed all those over the world taking to meat-heavy fast foods and indolent lifestyle) is an increasing concern to those who will have to foot the bill for health services and/or live with the often less than satisfactory work performance of those afflicted with these self-destructive diseases.

That said, I still find time to enjoy 2-3 slices of veggie pizza about once a week.

Respectfully,
Steve

 

[PAPPACLART]

Its so schools can hit there veg targets, while still serving crap to children.


School governors should bring in some Italian Nonna's as consultants. Go to the south of Italy, where years ago, poor parents would feed 10 children on a shoe string, yet the food would still be healthy and wholsome but yet be "cheap as chips"

It is very possible to eat healthy for very cheap, but schools rather not make the effort, all the while poor American children are force fed processed rubbish, and then when they go home the parents feed them much of the same.

The sad thing is, the Pizza served in schools is hardly pizza, and not like the Pizza I am used to here in Italy. Its more Like plastic processed cheese served on tomato pasted bread. Again, it is not expsensive to make real pizza which is infact relatively healthy, at least compared to the cheese bread served in schools.

 

[Grayfox]

Pizza:
+1 Serve Veg
+600% Salt needs
+2000% Saturated Fat needs
- 80 Cost

 

[Keef]

That is the most ridiculous i´ve ever heard in my life.

For real. As far as I know, pizza is pizza. There may be vegetables or meats or fruits on it, but the pizza itself isn't any one of those.

I would put it in the "damn tasty" food group.

 

[hampus_dh]

For real. As far as I know, pizza is pizza. There may be vegetables or meats or fruits on it, but the pizza itself isn't any one of those.

I would put it in the "damn tasty" food group.

Mmmmm....pizza.... arrrgghhhhh... *homer*

Yea i can´t even begin to understand how a person can look at a pizza then in some strange way classify it as a vegetable.. Because it contains two scoops of tomato paste which is a got damn fruit lol.

Even though the United States Supreme Court considers it an vegetable.

 

[Grayfox]

On the subject of pizza how big are American large pizzas?

Are they really like you see in the movies?


Also made this while I wait for my HDD to back up since it is dieing.