You say catsup, I say ketchup ... but the French say it's simply banned. That's right, if you love ketchup in France, and you're in school, then you're out of luck.

In an effort to promote healthy eating (and to protect traditional French cuisine), the French government has (largely) banned ketchup from school and college cafeterias:

"France must be an example to the world in the quality of its food, starting with its children," said Bruno Le Maire, the agriculture and food minister.

Ronald Reagan's White House may have considered ketchup — made famous by Henry John "H J." Heinz, who produced the first bottle in 1876 — a vegetable. But Gallic gastronomes view it with the same disdain as American television series, English words and McDonald's restaurants: unwelcome cultural impostors.

Jacques Hazan, president of the Federation of School Pupils' and College Students' Parents Councils, told the Times of London that the new regulations are a "victory."

Kim Willsher of the Los Angeles Times reports: Link