National Nutrition Adviser Ben Carson went viral on Monday after making a suggestion about hot dogs that likely won’t cut the mustard with many nutritionists.
During an event that was meant to promote using food from local farmers for school lunches, Carson said it was important for kids to know where their food comes from and to taste vegetables right from the source.
“I remember not too many months ago, [Agriculture] Secretary [Brooke] Rollins and I went to a school, and we were giving the children whole milk. They were just so amazed. They said, ‘I didn’t know milk could taste this good!’”
Carson then suggested introducing kids to fresh food and helping them connect what they’re eating to the farmers who grow it.
“They learn about irrigation. They learn about the effect that it has on their crop,” he said.
Carson then extolled the joys of when a child gets “an opportunity to eat a tomato fresh off the vine. It’s a different food than you get in the store.”
At that point, a dog barked while Carson was rhapsodizing about “fresh sweet corn,” which inspired him to jokingly mention “hot dogs” as well.
“What a difference it makes when they can taste these things,” he continued. “They won’t have a craving for the unhealthy foods that are so prevalent in our society.”
Some people dogged Carson a bit for the comment, while seeming to ignore the bark that inspired it.
Eventually, the Health and Human Services social media team got tired of Carson being dogged and lashed out at The Bulwark for posting the clip without the dog-barking context.