Ms. McCue

MacArthur High School: (516) 434-7225

Ms. McCue

Bureaucracy

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Bureaucracy

The Bureaucracy of Pizza or Taco Trucks

Taking a Closer Look at How the Federal Bureaucracy Governs Your Pizza or Tacos

Background: When the executive branch of the national government was established in 1789, the federal bureaucracy consisted of just three Cabinet departments and the Office of the Attorney General, later to become the Justice Department. In 1789 the State Department had 9 employees, the War Department had 2, and the Treasury Department had 39. Today, the State Department employs about 28,000 civilians, the Defense Department about 670,000, and the Treasury Department about 163,000. The federal bureaucracy today boasts 15 Cabinet departments and dozens of agencies, regulatory commissions, and government corporations, with a civilian workforce of more than 2.8 million. The bureaucratic behemoth exercises power and influence over virtually every facet of the nation’s social and economic life. In the view of many observers, the power, reach, and independence of the federal bureaucracy demand that it be viewed as a fourth branch of government.

Directions:

Your task is to take each component part of a home-delivered pizza or ordering food at a taco truck and, research the federal agencies and departments that would regulate it in some way.

Use the chart on the reverse side to explain how each component part of the pizza delivery or ordering from a taco truck is regulated by the agency and/or department.

Answer the questions at the end of the activity.

Resources: Pizza

1. Cardboard Box: https://archive.epa.gov/wastes/conserve/materials/paper/web/html/commercial.html

2. Tomato Sauce: https://www.ams.usda.gov/grades-standards/tomato-sauce-grades-and-standard s

3. Cheese: https://www.ams.usda.gov/grades-standards/cheddar-cheese-grades-and-standards

4. Mushrooms: http://www.matsiman.com/mushroom_news_flash_revised_food.htm

5. Anchovies (seafood): http://www.registrarcorp.com/fda-fce-sample/Anchovy?lang=ch

6. Pepperoni: https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1991/10/11/pepperonis-a-problem-any-way-they-slice-it/a384a734-7f47-4afa-8014-ec44c4d93dab/?utm_term=.cfd625f57a29

7. Onions: http://www.economics21.org/html/consumers-may-onions-fda-doesnt-1066.html

8. Delivery Vehicle: http://www.epa.gov/air/caa/title2.html#iia

9. Diet Soda: https://www.fda.gov/food/guidanceregulation/guidancedocumentsregulatoryinformation/bottledwatercarbonatedsoftdrinks/default.htm

https://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/portal/fsis/topics/food-safety-education/get-answers/food-safety-fact-

sheets/production-and-inspection/inspection-and-grading-of-meat-and-poultry-what-are-the-differen

ces_/inspection-and-grading-differences

PIZZA COMPONENT	RELEVANT FEDERAL DEPARTMENT and/or AGENCY & EXPLANATION ITS REGULATORY OVERSIGHT OF PIZZA COMPONENT
1. Cardboard Box	Department/Organization: ___________________________________________________ Regulatory Oversight:
2. Tomato Sauce	Department/Organization: ___________________________________________________ Regulatory Oversight:
3. Cheese	Department/Organization: ___________________________________________________ Regulatory Oversight:
4. Mushrooms	Department/Organization: ___________________________________________________ Regulatory Oversight:
5. Anchovies	Department/Organization: ___________________________________________________ Regulatory Oversight:
6. Pepperoni	Department/Organization: ___________________________________________________ Regulatory Oversight:
7. Onions	Department/Organization: ___________________________________________________ Regulatory Oversight:
8. Delivery Vehicle	Department/Organization: ___________________________________________________ Regulatory Oversight:
9. Diet Soda	Department/Organization: ___________________________________________________ Regulatory Oversight:

TACO TRUCK COMPONENT	RELEVANT FEDERAL DEPARTMENT and/or AGENCY & EXPLANATION ITS REGULATORY OVERSIGHT OF TACO TRUCK COMPONENT
1.Parking Regulations	Department/Organization: ___________________________________________________ Regulatory Oversight:
2. Taco Shells	Department/Organization: ___________________________________________________ Regulatory Oversight:
3. Taco Meat	Department/Organization: ___________________________________________________ Regulatory Oversight:
4. Cheese	Department/Organization: ___________________________________________________ Regulatory Oversight:
5. Tomato	Department/Organization: ___________________________________________________ Regulatory Oversight:
6. Lettuce	Department/Organization: ___________________________________________________ Regulatory Oversight:
7. Sour Cream	Department/Organization: ___________________________________________________ Regulatory Oversight:
8. Beans	Department/Organization: ___________________________________________________ Regulatory Oversight:
9. Avocado	Department/Organization: ___________________________________________________ Regulatory Oversight:

Questions for Analysis

1. What generalizations can you make about the “bureaucracy of pizza” or “bureaucracy of taco trucks” i.e. how involved are federal agencies and departments in pizza that you eat or the tacos you buy?

2. A) What are the advantages and disadvantages to consumers of pizza/tacos (like you) of federal rules and regulations?

B) Advantages and disadvantages for pizza/taco businesses?

3. Based on what you learned from this activity about the bureaucracy of pizza, would you go into the pizza/taco business? Why or why not?

Ms. McCue

Ms. McCue

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