A new food policy from the Obama administration?

Read Kim Severson's speculation about this in the New York Times here. She recites a great deal of evidence that Obama is the "first foodie President since Thomas Jefferson." One of my favorite parts of the piece is her humorous play a holiday theme.

FROM the moment it was clear that Barack Obama was going to be president, people who have dedicated their lives to changing how America eats thought they had found their St. Nicholas.

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For many food activists, a shiny new secretary of agriculture was high on the Christmas wish list.

About 50,000 people--high-profile foodies and advocates of sustainability among them -- signed a petition asking Obama to consider the six candidates they believed would best promote and protect "farm-based rural America and sustainable agriculture." But, as Severson writes," Santa had other plans."

Those other plans, of course, involved selecting to be Secretary of Agriculture former Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack, known for his alignment with agri-business interests.