Just when we were being told that liberalism was on the run, a series of progressive initiatives emerged across the country, from New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s ban on big sodas to a sweeping set of USDA regulations for school lunches. Even when laws weren’t being made, a storm of controversy and criticism over genetically modified foods, childhood obesity and food safety dominated the national conversation. Dismissed, often angrily, as “the nanny state” by conservatives, the movement made strides in 2012 and isn’t going anywhere soon.