Bill Lee: “most people in America are probably familiar with the advertising slogans: ``Pork, the other white meat'' and ``Beef…”

“most people in America are probably familiar with the advertising slogans: ``Pork, the other white meat'' and ``Beef, it's what's for dinner,'' but what they might not know, what they might not be as aware of is the cronyist underbelly of slogans like these. The U.S. Department of Agriculture checkoff programs behind these very slogans and others like them tend to collect compulsory fees from producers of milk, eggs, beef, and other agricultural products. These funds are then used to promote and do research on those particular commodities. Unfortunately, these programs have been rife with opportunities for abuse. Many of these programs have crept far beyond the scope of their statutory mandate by engaging in illegal lobbying and anticompetitive activities. Take, for example, the case of a small California company called JUST, Inc., formerly known as Hampton Creek, which a few years ago was attacked for selling its vegan mayonnaise known as Just Mayo in stores nationwide. It turns out that a Federal entity called the American Egg Board conspired with USDA employees and top executives from the egg industry to threaten and coerce retailers into not carrying the Just Mayo brand. The original intent of these programs was to research and promote certain commodities, not to disparage other ones, and they certainly were not intended to prevent any new products from having a fair chance in the marketplace.…”