Government vs. Nutrition
Saturday, December 11, 2010 at 4:34PM
Skip Hellewell in news articles, nutrition

In the November 6, 2010 New York Times there is an article that reveals the conflicting roles of government in nutrition.  This article, by Michael Moss, is well-written and worth reading. Titled “While Warning About Fat, U.S. Pushes Cheese Sales”, it tells an Orwellian story of how one government agency offered free consultation to Domino’s and helped them to improve the popularity of their pizza by adding more cheese. 

This aid to Domino’s was provided by Dairy Management, a branch of the U. S. Department of Agriculture.  Pizza is high in calories and low in nutrients, just the kind of fast food the USDA is supposed to discourage.  Other fast food companies have also been helped by USDA’s Dairy Management group. 

The USDA has a group charged with encouraging healthy eating—the Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion.  Unfortunately the center has a tiny budget, much smaller than Dairy Management’s, and is no threat to the fast food companies.  The food environment in America has been described as “toxic”.  All would agree, I think, that we can and must do better.  Unfortunately, as this article illustrates, our government is much less helpful than it could be.  We are on our own here, I fear.

As a point of full disclosure, I enjoy pizza but eat it less than once a month.  If a healthier pizza were available—perhaps with a thinner, whole-grain crust, or more tomato sauce—I would enjoy it more often.  Wouldn’t you?

Article originally appeared on Word of Wisdom living (http://www.wordofwisdomliving.com/).
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