The Government's Problem with Cheese

A recent New York Times article has uncovered the fact that Dairy Management Inc. - a marketing branch of the United States Department of Agriculture, has partnered with numerous food chains to push the consumption of cheese in the United States.

According to the article, agricultural secretaries of both the Bush and Obama administrations have signed off on clandestine partnerships between this Dairy Management Inc. and several restaurants. The Dairy Management has been working with these suppliers to make their menu items more cheesy - an incentive for the consumer, as well as a benefit for both the restaurants and the dairy market.

These partnerships would not be of particular consequence if it were not for the large campaign backed by the current President and First Lady, and the very same government department, to end obesity. In the Agricultural Department's reports to Congress, the Department blatantly states that Americans are not consuming enough saturated fat, and that they must bring it back to consumer's diets through cheese. The average American now consumes 33 pounds of cheese annually, and according to the same Department's data, "Cheese has become the largest source of saturated fat; an ounce of many cheese contains as much saturated fat as a glass of whole milk."

However, the Agricultural Department is the same organization that funds the 'Got Milk?' campaign and that distributes brochures and flyers about how consumers can reduce the amount of saturated fat in their diets.

How are Americans, who when asked are generally unsatisfied with the way they think the government is run, supposed to gain trust in their leaders? I say we should expect several apologies from the involved administrations in the coming days.