Diet wonk

A new appointment at the FDA brings applause

By Kim Carlson

November 20, 2007

In her blog today Marion Nestle exalted the just-announced appointment of Brian Wansink to the USDA:

Every now and then something incredible happens and here it is. Brian Wansink, Cornell Professor and author of Mindless Eating, has been appointed executive director of the USDA Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion. This is the piece of USDA responsible for dietary advice to the public.

Mindless Eating went on my to-read list after watching a video interview with Wasnick on Parke Wilde’s blog U.S. Food Policy. When the interview was conducted, Wansink had just won an Ig Nobel Award for his work on overeating. (This work included measuring to see how much soup people would eat when their soup bowl secretly refilled itself from the bottom. Answer: A lot.)

Now, will Brian Wansink help the country to stop overeating? We hope so . . . after Thanksgiving, that is.