How many cherries in frozen pie? FDA may soon drop rules

Associated Press ^ | April 19, 2019 | Candice Choi

[Olog-hai]

President Donald Trump may soon be able to claim a sweet victory for his deregulation push, with officials preparing to get rid of the decades-old rules for frozen cherry pies.

Emails show the Food and Drug Administration planned to start the process for revoking the standard for frozen cherry pies this week, followed by a similar revocation of the standard for French dressing. Plans to get rid of the obscure rules had been tucked into the Trump administration’s deregulation agenda.

Standards for an array of foods including cottage cheese and canned peas were put in place decades ago partly to ensure a level of quality. They spell out how products with specific names can be made, including ingredients that are required or not allowed. The rules for frozen cherry pies say they must be 25% cherries by weight with no more than 15% of the cherries being blemished.

It’s not always clear why some food terms have standards and others don’t. The rules are seen as arcane by many and are a sore spot in the food industry, with companies saying they prevent innovation or prompt lawsuits. The FDA under Trump has said it plans to update the standards. …

[Cincinnatus.45-70]

Thank you! I’ve been saying that to everyone I know. The best way to bust up this gang of thieves is to get rid of “Washington” as an important place.

Keep on pushing that concept. Let’s get a movement started.

[MightyMama]

I point out marketing weaselwords to my kid as part of her general education. My two favorites are Breyers’ switch from “ice cream” to “frozen dairy dessert” and the box of snacks I once spotted that were described as “yogurty covered fruity dots”. “New rule, kid: that many Y’s means they’re trying HARD to scam you.”

Honorable mention to the endcap display mid-Atkins fad: “Honey: A Sugar-Free Sweetener”.