Did you know the American government spends 99.6% more on subsidizing the meat and dairy industries than on subsidizing fruits and vegetables? That’s right. The U.S. Government spends $38 billion each year on meat and dairy and only $17 million on fruits and vegetables. That’s a pretty incredible disparity, don’t you think?

What’s more concerning is where this “checkoff money” is going when it comes to meat and dairy. Some of it is actually going to boosting the sales of fast food chains. Companies like McDonald’s, Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, and Domino’s have all received sales boosts, ad campaign help, and more through these checkoff programs. The fast food industry is also a large part of the long-fed (incorrect) ideal that cheese makes everything better, when it’s making us sicker and fatter.

Federal programs are rubber stamping their approval instead of letting people know how bad these products are nutritionally. Because of the dairy industry’s continued whitewashing, even the government is feeding into the idea that dairy is essential to the diet, when it is becoming more and more obvious that it’s actually the cause of many dietary and health issues. Even schools are incorrectly teaching kids that dairy is the best source for muscles and growth, when they can get the same or better nutrition from fruits and vegetables.

Read more about federal meat and dairy advertising here.