When we decide what to eat for dinner, our first thought usually is something like: Am I craving chicken or steak? But we have far less say over the food we eat – and how it tastes – than we think. Economics, climate change, culture, corporate ethics and 538 powerful men and women in Washington have decided what’s for dinner, long before we open the refrigerator or turn on the stove.

My reporting and writing examines how politics, culture and business affect what ends up on our plates – and how that is dramatically changing. On this site, you will find links to my work, including my monthly column, Smarter Food, in The Washington Post, and my blog, which explores the pleasures and challenges of good food.