Guest guest Posted June 16, 2004 Report Share Posted June 16, 2004 USDA Reclassifies French Fries As Fresh Vegetables By Dan Glaister The Guardian - UK 6-16-4 LOS ANGELES -- Think of fresh vegetables and you think of fields of crops, or perhaps rows of supermarket shelves brimming with luscious, colourful variety. But thanks to the US department of agriculture, American consumers will no longer have to bother with such healthy fare. A little- noticed ruling by the department reclassifies french fries as fresh vegetables. Arguing that the process of coating or battering a vegetable does not change the end product, the department has ruled that a chip is as fresh as, and indeed not that different from, a waxed lemon. The change, introduced last year after pressure from the US chip industry, will come as a relief to parents who weary of the daily battle to persuade their offspring to eat fresh vegetables. The ruling came to light this week after a Texas judge ruled against a lawyer who challenged the reclassification on behalf of a bankrupt vegetable distributor. The judge, Schell, agreed with the agriculture department that the term " fresh vegetables " was ambiguous. Lawyers for the department had argued in court that chips, far from being a processed food, were in fact still fresh. " While plaintiff argued that batter-coated french fries are processed products, they have not been 'processed' to the point that they are no longer fresh, " the agriculture department's lawyers argued. " It is still considered 'fresh' because it is not preserved. It retains its perishable quality. " The change was first proposed in 2002 after lobbying of the agriculture department by the Frozen Potato Products Institute. The amendment to the perishable agricultural commodities act, which was drawn up in 1930 to protect fruit and vegetable growers, goes beyond potatoes to include most battered vegetables as well as products such as caramel-coated apples. The reclassification will be welcome news to the french fries industry, with consumption having dropped in the US. In 2001, consumers ate an average of 13.3kg (29.4lb) of frozen potato products, down 2.4% from 1996. Guardian Unlimited © Guardian Newspapers Limited 2004 http://www.guardian.co.uk/usa/story/0,12271,1239835,00.html Disclaimer Email This Article Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 17, 2004 Report Share Posted June 17, 2004 nkbaker2001 wrote: > USDA Reclassifies French > Fries As Fresh Vegetables > By Dan Glaister > The Guardian - UK > 6-16-4 > > LOS ANGELES -- Think of fresh vegetables and you think of fields of > crops, or perhaps rows of supermarket shelves brimming with > luscious, colourful variety. > > But thanks to the US department of agriculture, American consumers > will no longer have to bother with such healthy fare. A little- > noticed ruling by the department reclassifies french fries as fresh > vegetables. > > Arguing that the process of coating or battering a vegetable does > not change the end product, the department has ruled that a chip is > as fresh as, and indeed not that different from, a waxed lemon. > > The change, introduced last year after pressure from the US chip > industry, will come as a relief to parents who weary of the daily > battle to persuade their offspring to eat fresh vegetables. > > The ruling came to light this week after a Texas judge ruled against > a lawyer who challenged the reclassification on behalf of a bankrupt > vegetable distributor. The judge, Schell, agreed with the > agriculture department that the term " fresh vegetables " was > ambiguous. > > Lawyers for the department had argued in court that chips, far from > being a processed food, were in fact still fresh. > > " While plaintiff argued that batter-coated french fries are > processed products, they have not been 'processed' to the point that > they are no longer fresh, " the agriculture department's lawyers > argued. " It is still considered 'fresh' because it is not preserved. > It retains its perishable quality. " > > The change was first proposed in 2002 after lobbying of the > agriculture department by the Frozen Potato Products Institute. The > amendment to the perishable agricultural commodities act, which was > drawn up in 1930 to protect fruit and vegetable growers, goes beyond > potatoes to include most battered vegetables as well as products > such as caramel-coated apples. > > The reclassification will be welcome news to the french fries > industry, with consumption having dropped in the US. In 2001, > consumers ate an average of 13.3kg (29.4lb) of frozen potato > products, down 2.4% from 1996. > > Guardian Unlimited © Guardian Newspapers Limited 2004 > http://www.guardian.co.uk/usa/story/0,12271,1239835,00.html > > > > Disclaimer > > Email This Article -------------------------------------------------------- Well there you have it. Now that 3 month old half rotted and bloated smelly road kill is still fresh meat because it is still perishable. According to this then, there is not one thing I can think of, at the moment, that would not fall under the classification of fresh. No matter how much preservatives man puts into something it will disintegrate eventually. Therefore everything is fresh no matter how highly processed it is. Boy I can see this one coming. -- Peace, love and light, Don Quai " Spirit sleeps in the mineral, breathes in the vegetable, dreams in the animal and wakes in man. " Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 19, 2004 Report Share Posted June 19, 2004 Skip wrote: > Wow. Maybe we should get a few rotten potatoes and sell them to > Mc's... no one could argue. They would have to be fresh... > right?? > > The USDA and FDA are pretty obviously NOT on the side of the > people that pay them. They are apparently for those that have > more money. > > I'd really like to know why it's like this? Who's palm is being > greased!?!?! > > ------------------------------------------------- Just think it through and see where the buck stops!!! Who benefits the most from having every kid and at least half the adults in America obese and deathly ill? Shoot, who is benefitting from it now? -- Peace, love and light, Don Quai " Spirit sleeps in the mineral, breathes in the vegetable, dreams in the animal and wakes in man. " Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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