SNL & Kermit the Frog say, "Pizza as a Vegetable? Really?!"
In the wake of Congress's block of new rules on school lunches, pizza has now been deemed a vegetable for school meals--thanks to the tomato paste found in the pizza's sauce. Enraging parents and health specialists alike, this new legislation's block also came to the attention of the classic sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live.
In this knee-slapping bit from Saturday Night Live's Weekend Update, Seth Meyers and special guest Kermit the Frog, our favorite kids advocate, express their sentiments on the rule in a segment called "Really!?! With Seth and Kermit":
Some of our favorite quotes and helpful stats from this bit:
"The pizza served in school lunches is hardly a pizza. It has the same nutritional value as the tray it's served on!"
"For what it's worth, tomato paste only makes up 31 percent of what's in the tomato sauce. Other ingredients include potassium sorbate, citric acid, and tricalcium phosphate.
"That's not a vegetable, that's a chemistry quiz!"
"Hey Congress, do you not think child obesity is a problem? One out of five four-year-olds in this country are obese. On Halloween, a kid came to my door dressed as a pirate--I thought he was supposed to be Dom Deloise."
"I mean, really, Congress?! It's your job to look out for kids, you know?
"But you didn't."
As you can see, Seth and Kermit, among many others, are quite upset with Congress's block of the rule, which would have required more fresh fruits and vegetables in school lunches and greatly reduced fatty options like pizza and french fries.
Are you upset by this rule too? You can take action and contact your members of Congress and let them know that this is a critical issue to address--quickly find the contact info for your representative here.
Also head on over to our brand new Infant Nutrition page to learn more about this topic.
