On Fri, 6 Feb 2009 12:55:37 -0800 (PST), Nancy2
> wrote:

>On Feb 6, 2:01 pm, "modom (palindrome guy)" >
>wrote:
>> http://tinyurl.com/bu5mnp
>>
>> The Washington Post article quotes Vilsack making interesting
>> pronouncements like this:
>> "This is a department that intersects the lives of Americans two to
>> three times a day. Every single American," he said. "So I absolutely
>> see the constituency of this department as broader than those who
>> produce our food -- it extends to those who consume it."
>>
>> This may become interesting.
>> --
>>
>> modom
>
>He's our former state governor - not known for his fluidity of
>expression, but knows ag. Is the FDA part of the USDA? If so, I hope
>he follows through with his vision. Of course, the main problem with
>those inspecting agencies is they don't have a big enough budget for
>the required inspections....
>
>N.

What I think has a chance of being interesting about Vilsack is that
in spite of concerns he's in the pocket of Big Agriculture, he may be
what some have been calling our first secretary of food. His
expressed concerns for sustainable farming and for healthier food
products are a start at least.

Also from the WaPo article:

He added that educating school administrators, parents and children is
essential in effecting change. To that end, he said, he supports
establishing school and urban community gardens, long at the top of
the wish list for activists.

"We want to make a better connection between what kids eat and knowing
where it comes from," he said. "I've seen it in my own family. If you
educate kids at an early age, you can have a tremendous impact."

We shall see how this pans out.
--

modom