A recent article in the New York Times revealed that the U.S. Department of Agriculture was involved in consulting and recommending to Domino's Pizza that it add 40% more cheese to its pies!I didn't realize that the government was in the pizza consulting business, but I could spend days discussing that.
According to the article, "Dairy Management, the 'consultant' [hired by Domino's] which has made cheese its cause, is not a private business consultant at all. It is a marketing creation of the United States Department of Agriculture". Yes, the very same Department of Agriculture responsible for leading the government's national anti-obesity campaign. Talk about "speaking out of both sides of your mouth"!
One slice of Domino's pizza has as much as 2/3rds the recommended daily allowance of saturated fat. So, on the one hand, the USDA is recommending to the nation's largest pizza chain that it add significantly more cheese to its pies, while on the other hand, recommending that Americans eat less saturated fat, something cheese has in abundance. Obviously, I'm not the only one that sees some inconsistencies here that could be potentially problematic for Domino's, but highly problematic for the federal government. Unfortunately, we're talking about a federal agency. Traditionally, federal agencies have never seemed to be too concerned about their reputations. They let congress worry about that.
Here's my favorite quote from the article: "The department acknowledged that cheese is high in saturated fat, but said that lower milk consumption had made cheese an important source of calcium. 'When eaten in moderation and with attention to portion size, cheese can fit into a low-fat, healthy diet'."
I get such a kick out of health and dietary ads that use the disclaimer, "with proper diet and exercise". The fact is that if everyone maintained a healthy diet and exercised regularly, there would be no need for dietary supplements or weight loss pills. With "proper diet and exercise", I could probably take diet pills made of bacon fat and still lose weight.
The government is bad enough when dealing with bureaucratic legislative and regulatory issues. I really wish they would stay out of the marketing business. They're going to give us all a bad name. Next thing you know, they'll be selling used cars or launching an airline.
