Perhaps of Interest Volume 3

On the federal regulation of sandwiches

Photo by Mae Mu on Unsplash

I spend a lot of time editing white papers and presentation decks covering topics that tend to be important but not interesting. Every once in a while, however, I see a tidbit brings my eyes to an abrupt halt. For example, did you know that sandwiches are regulated by two separate government agencies depending on their structure?

I was editing a presentation deck on the the agricultural industry in the United States the other day, and my interest was piqued when I saw that open-faced sandwiches are regulated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), but the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulates closed sandwiches.

The reason for this separation of regulation is that the USDA regulates meat, unless it’s game meat or other unusual types of meat which is regulated by the FDA, and open-faced sandwiches are assumed to have a ratio of meat to bread that is more than 50 percent. I gather that the addition of another piece of bread on top is thought to lessen the ratio enough to move that sandwich into an entirely different federal agency’s jurisdiction? Unsurprisingly, the more I read about this issue, the more complicated it became.

• If your sandwich uses pancakes or waffles instead of bread, that’s the FDA’s problem. Source

• Sausage meat is inspected by the enforcement arm of the USDA, but the casings that contain the meat are in the FDA’s jurisdiction. Source

• Bagel dogs are the responsibility of the FDA, but the USDA inspects corn dogs. Source

• Don’t even get me started on eggs. If the eggs are shelled, that’s the FDA, but egg products belong to the USDA. The FDA regulates chicken feed, but the chickens themselves and the place where the chickens eat that feed are a USDA matter. Source

Other things that are perhaps of interest:

• I was enthralled by Keri Blakinger’s story for The Marshall Project about how men on death row in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice system have been playing Dungeons and Dragons. While we’re on the topic of incarceration in Texas, I urge Texans to reach out to your elected officials and/or sign this petition to demand that Texas prisons all be outfitted with air conditioning.

• I had forgotten how much I liked The Big White, a movie with a stellar cast including Robin Williams, Woody Harrelson, and Holly Hunter that I don’t think I’ve ever heard anyone else talk about? It’s a dark comedy set in Alaska in which Robin Williams’ character is attempting to declare his long-missing brother, played by Woody Harrelson, dead so he can collect life insurance money. Giovanni Ribisi is also a delight as a disgruntled insurance adjuster.

• I’ve been really enjoying the new Ratboys album, “The Window.” I have a tough time describing music (shout out to music writers because that shit is hard), but I guess I would describe this as indie rock with a rootsy/folky sensibility? Anyhoo, go ahead and check out this video if you’re into that kind of thing.

• I adore the Name Drop game at The New Yorker, and I think more people should play it. You have 90 seconds to guess a person based on six clues, and the obscurity of the answer varies wildly. I think it’s tons of fun, and it doesn’t take long to play, so I like to cue it up when I need a brain break during the workday.

If you made it this far, thank you! As a token of my gratitude, leave a comment and I’ll randomly pick someone to receive one year of free digital access to Texas Monthly.