Aptly named NYU nutritionist, Marion Nestle, declares 2006 to be the “year everyone discovered that food is about politics and people can do something about it.”

Big Food was Big News:

• Food safety and E. coli highlighted an industrialized food system in crisis.
• Nutrition in schools was a political issue, with Bill Clinton and Arnold Schwarzenegger joining hands to keep sugar sodas and junk food out of the cafeteria.
• Omnivore’s Dilemma became a best seller. Fast Food Nation became a film.
• Chicago banned foie gras. Whole Foods stopped selling live lobsters. PETA no longer look like fringe freaks.
• Organic went mainstream when Wal-Mart, the world’s largest supermarket chain, got into the business.
• The Agriculture Dept. tried to figure out what “Organic Fish” might mean.