In case you missed it, you will be happy to know that the USDA now defines frozen French fries as “fresh vegetables.” According to the Chicago Tribune:
The Frozen Potato Products Institute appealed to the USDA in 2000 to change its definition of fresh produce under PACA to include batter-coated, frozen French fries, arguing that rolling potato slices in a starch coating, frying them and freezing them is the equivalent of waxing a cucumber or sweetening a strawberry.
The USDA agreed and, on June 2, 2003, the agency amended its PACA rules to include what is described in court documents as the “Batter-Coating Rule.”
Tim Elliott, a Chicago attorney who recently challenged the revision in a Texas federal courtroom on behalf of a bankrupt food distributor, said defining French fries as fresh vegetables defied common sense.
“I find it pretty outrageous, really,” said Elliott, who argued that the Batter-Coating Rule is so vague that chocolate-covered cherries, packed in a candy box, would qualify as fresh fruit. [Martin]
Martin, Andrew. “Calling fries fresh veggies half-baked, critics argue.” The Chicago Tribune. 15 June 2004. <www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-0406150244jun15,1,7819213.story> (15 June 2004).