Tom Vilsack, Iowa's former governor, calls his "the most important department in government," noting that the Agriculture Department serves education through school nutrition programs and serves diplomacy by trying to wean Afghanistan from a poppy-based (meaning heroin-based) economy. But Vilsack's department matters most because of the health costs of the American diet. If Michael Pollan is right, the problem is rooted in politics and, in a sense, Iowa. ...more

March 8, 2009

"Food Matters: A Guide to Conscious Eating," by Mark Bittman (Simon & Schuster, $25) ...more

January 11, 2009

"Food Matters: A Guide to Conscious Eating," by Mark Bittman (Simon & Schuster, $25) ...more

January 4, 2009

"Best Food Writing 2008," edited by Holly Hughes (Lifelong Books, $15.95) ...more

November 9, 2008