The Daily Meal: America’s 50 most powerful people in food
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The Daily Meal has released its third annual list of America’s 50 most powerful people in food, and the ranking may surprise you.
According to The Daily Meal, it was clear from the beginning that CEOs could be more powerful than the best-know culinary celebrities. The people who wield the power in the food world are those who actually--or could potentially—affect where, what, why and how we eat. While you will still find Guy Fieri, Anthony Bourdain and Mario Batali on the list, they don’t crack the top 24.
How do you come to the conclusion that Wal-Mart CEO Mike Duke has more influence than The New York Times restaurant critic Pete Wells?
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“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?” Colman Andrews, the editor of The Daily Meal, writes. “If so, how absolute is the power he or she can bring to bear?”
Check out the list below. Also, do not confuse the food world’s second most powerful person with the actor with the same name.
50. The Family Farmer
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49. Deb Perelman, Author
48. Bill Marler, Foodborne Illness Lawyer and Attorney
47. Michael Pollan, Author
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46. Ingrid Newkirk, President and Co-Founder, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals
45. John T. Edge, Author and Director, Southern Foodways Alliance
44. Danny Meyer, Restaurateur
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43. Guy Fieri, Chef–Restaurateur and TV Personality
42. Susan Ungaro, President, James Beard Foundation
41. Tom Colicchio, Chef-Restaurateur and TV Personality
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40. Thomas Keller, Chef-Restaurateur
39. Mark Bittman, Journalist and Author
38. Catherine Cassidy, Vice President and Editor-in-Chief, Taste of Home
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37. Fred DeLuca, Co-Founder and President, Subway
36. Wolfgang Puck, Chef–Restaurateur
35. Bill Shore, Founder and CEO, Share Our Strength
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34. Grant Achatz, Chef–Restaurateur
33. Anthony Bourdain, Author and TV Personality
32. Dana Cowin, Editor-in-Chief, Food & Wine
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31. Dawn Sweeney, President and CEO, National Restaurant Association
30. Alice Waters, Chef-Restaurateur and Founder and Director, The Edible Schoolyard Project
29. Bob Aiken, President and CEO, Feeding America
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28. Julie Packard, Executive Director and Vice-Chairman, Monterey Bay Aquarium
27. David A. DeLorenzo, President and CEO, Dole Food Company
26. Dan Bane, Chairman and CEO, Trader Joe's
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25. Mario Batali, Chef–Restaurateur and TV Personality
24. Michelle Obama, First Lady of the United States
23. John Mackey, Founder and Co-CEO, Whole Foods Market
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22. Jeremy Stoppelman, Co-Founder and CEO, Yelp
21. David Dillon, Chairman and CEO, The Kroger Co.
20. Kevin Systrom, Co-Founder and CEO, Instagram
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19. James P. Hoffa, General President, International Brotherhood of Teamsters
18. José Andrés, Chef-Restaurateur
17. Steve Spinner, CEO, President, and Director, United Natural Foods, Inc.
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16. Paul Grimwood, CEO and Chairman, Nestlé USA
15. David Kirchhoff, President, Weight Watchers International
14. Pete Wells, Restaurant Critic, The New York Times
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13. Craig Jelinek, CEO, Costco
12. Bob Tuschman, General Manager and Senior Vice President, Food Network
11. Donnie Smith, President and CEO, Tyson Foods
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10. Thomas Vilsack, Secretary, USDA
9. Gregory Page Chairman and CEO, Cargill
8. Ben Silbermann, Founder and CEO, Pinterest
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7. Donald Thompson, Vice Chairman and CEO, McDonalds
6. Indra Nooyi, Chairman and CEO, Pepsi
5. Mike Duke, President and CEO, Walmart
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4. Patricia Woertz, Chairman, President, and CEO, Archer Daniels Midland
3. Michael R. Taylor, Deputy Commissioner for Food, Federal Drug Administration
2. Hugh Grant, Chairman, President, and CEO, The Monsanto Company
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1. Jack Menzel, Product Managing Director, and Bernardo Hernandez, Director of Product Management and Managing Director for Zagat, and their teams, Google