Source: Colman Andrews
These men and women decide what and how you eat, whether you realize it or not.
The ability to make things happen, rewrite the rules, change the conversation and shift the paradigms; the people with power in the food world decide or influence what and how and where and why we eat.
Their power is economic, legislative, sometimes inspirational. They’re the agribusiness moguls who decide what crops to plant and how to harvest, process, and sell them.
They’re the heads of major food processing and distribution concerns and retail food outlets (that is, the people who actually put food on our tables).
They’re the scolds and nannies — and admirable consumer advocates — who tell us what we should and shouldn’t eat and why, sometimes upending whole industries in the process; the key figures in the governmental agencies concerned with the economics and the safety of our food supply; the media stars and public figures who sway our food opinions and stimulate our appetites; the chefs and restaurateurs who introduce us to flavors and culinary ideas, and establish and maintain standards for the preparation and presentation of food. They’re the journalists, in whatever medium, who report on all of the above.
Any catalogue of powerful people — and certainly any ranking of them in order of perceived power— is bound to be highly subjective. That doesn’t mean that it has to be arbitrary.
To come up with our list of The 50+ Most Powerful People in Food in America, our editors assembled an initial roster, based on research done gradually over many months, then added and subtracted, fine-tuned and developed.
We read news stories, annual statements, editorial analyses. We consulted with experts in the various fields we cover. We had endless discussions and occasionally strenuous debates.
Our ultimate criterion was simply this: Is each person on our list capable, whether by dint of corporate station, media access, moral authority, or sheer personality, of substantially changing, improving, and/or degrading the quality and variety of the American diet or the way we think about it?
Choosing which men and women in the American food world to include on our list was difficult enough; arranging them in order of power was a far greater challenge.
Here is the finalized list:
50. Danielle Nierenberg and Ellen Gustafson, Co-Founders, The Food Tank
49. Adam Rapoport, Editor in Chief, Bon Appetit
48. Matt Maloney, CEO, GrubHub Seamless
47. Bill Marler, Foodborne Illness Lawyer and Attorney
46. Steve Ells, Founder/ Co-CEO, Chairman, Chipotle Mexican Grill
45. Tom Colicchio, Chef-Restaurateur and TV Personality
44. Catherine Cassidy, Vice President and Editor-in-Chief, Taste of Home
43. Ingrid Newkirk, President and Co-Founder, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals
42. Mark Bittman, Journalist and Author
41. Tracey Ryder, President and CEO, Edible Communities Publications
40. Dana Cowin, Editor-in-Chief, Food & Wine
39. Alice Waters, Chef-Restaurateur and Founder and Director, The Edible Schoolyard Project
38. Dawn Sweeney, President and CEO, National Restaurant Association
37. Thomas Keller, Chef-Restaurateur
36. Susan Ungaro, President, James Beard Foundation
34. Michael Pollan, Author (just noteworthy)
33. Bill Shore, Founder and CEO, Share Our Strength
32. Dan Bane, Chairman and CEO, Trader Joe’s
31. Bob Aiken, President and CEO, Feeding America
30. Steve Spinner, CEO, President, and Director, United Natural Foods, Inc.
29. Julie Packard, Executive Director and Vice-Chairman, Monterey Bay Aquarium
28. John Mackey, Founder and Co-CEO, Whole Foods Market
27. David Kirchhoff, CEO, Weight Watchers International
26. Mario Batali and Joe Bastianich, Chef/ Restaurateurs
25. David Murdock, CEO, Dole Food Company
24. Kevin Systrom, Co-Founder and CEO, Instagram
23. Ben Silbermann, Founder and CEO, Pinterest
22. Michelle Obama, First Lady of the United States
21. Rodney McMullen, Chairman and CEO, The Kroger Co.
20. Fred DeLuca, Co-Founder and President, Subway
19. Bob Tuschman, General Manager and Senior Vice President, Food Network
18. José Andrés, Chef-Restaurateur
17. Pamela Bailey, President and CEO, Grocery Manufacturers Association
16. Paul Grimwood, CEO and Chairman, Nestlé USA
15. Donald Thompson, Vice Chairman and CEO, McDonalds
14. Pete Wells, Restaurant Critic, The New York Times
13. Craig Jelinek, CEO, Costco
12. Donnie Smith, President and CEO, Tyson Foods
11. William J. Delaney III, CEO, Sysco
10. David MacLennan, Chairman and CEO, Cargill
9. Jeremy Stoppelman, Co-Founder and CEO, Yelp
7. Patricia Woertz, Chairman, President, and CEO, Archer Daniels Midland
6. James P. Hoffa, General President, International Brotherhood of Teamsters
5. Indra Nooyi, Chairman and CEO, Pepsi
4. Michael R. Taylor, Deputy Commissioner for Food, Federal Drug Administration
3. Doug McMillion, President and CEO, Walmart
2. Hugh Grant, Chairman, President, and CEO, The Monsanto Company
1. Thomas Vilsack, Secretary, USDA