Ketchup as a Vegetable: Condiments and the Politics of School Lunch in Reagan’s America
Meant To Be Eaten
English - February 21, 2021 20:48 - 38 minutes - 35.2 MB - ★★★★ - 6 ratingsSociety & Culture Arts Food meant to be eaten coral lee authenticity ethnic food cultural appropriation culinary world hospitality industry restaurants chefs Homepage Download Apple Podcasts Google Podcasts Overcast Castro Pocket Casts RSS feed
Previous Episode: Lunch Interrupted! COVID-19 and Japan’s School Meals
This episode is part of a special series in collaboration with Gastronomica: The Journal for Food Studies, guest hosted by Gastronomica editorial collective member Melissa Fuster. Historian Amy Bentley returns to the show to discuss the politics of food and nutrition. She traces how the Reagan administration 40 years ago shifted (deliberately or inadvertently) the classification of ketchup from a condiment to a vegetable in an effort to overhaul national school lunch programs and cut government costs, a move that disproportionately affected the health of lower-income children.
Photo courtesy of Amy Bentley.
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