Most powerful people in food
The Daily Meal, a food and drink website, is out with its list of "America's 50 Most Powerful People in Food." Who they are might surprise you. The list is dominated by CEOs, with only a sprinkling of chefs and foodies. Here we take a closer look at the top 10.
1. Tom Vilsack
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture
Tom Vilsack is the nation's 30th Agriculture Secretary. He has headed the USDA since 2009. According to his official government bio, Secretary Vilsack, an Iowa native, has made it a focus to bring more investment to rural America. Prior to his appointment to the USDA, Vilsack served two terms as governor of Iowa.
2. Hugh Grant
Monsanto chairman and CEO
Monsanto calls itself a "sustainable agriculture company." It provides agricultural products, like seeds and pesticides to farmers and agribusiness around the world.
Grant, who holds an MBA and degrees in both biology and zoology, joined the company in 1981 and rose through the ranks. He has been CEO since 2003.
3. Doug McMillon
President and CEO of Walmart International
Walmart has 11,000 stores in 27 countries around the world, with many of these locations also containing grocery stores and supermarkets.
Doug McMillon only recently stepped up to helm the retail giant. He was elected to his position as CEO in November 2013.
4. Michael R. Taylor
Deputy Commissioner for Foods, FDA
To lead the charge on the issue of food safety, the Office of Foods was created in 2009 under the umbrella of the Food and Drug Administration.
Michael Taylor was named deputy commissioner for foods at the FDA in January 2010. He is the first individual to hold
the position.
5. Indra Nooyi
PepsiCo chairman and CEO
PepsiCo's reach goes far beyond soda pop. Under the PepsiCo umbrella are many familiar brands and foods, including Frito-Lay, which makes Cheetos, Lays and other popular snacks. Pepsi also owns Quaker Foods, Aunt Jemima syrups and pancakes, Gatorade and Tropicana.
Indra Nooyi stepped into the roles of chairman and CEO in 2007 and 2006, respectively. She was ranked tenth in 2013 on the Forbes list of The World's Most Powerful Women.
6. James P. Hoffa
The Teamsters move goods around the country, including a great deal of the nation's food and beverages. When this union strikes, it has a ripple effect, disrupting operations at supermarkets and at major food production sites coast to coast.
James Hoffa, son of Jimmy Hoffa, has run the union since 1998.
7. Patricia Woertz
Chairman, president, and CEO, Archer Daniels Midland
Archer Daniels Midland serves as a link between farmers and the public. The company is an agricultural processor, taking crops directly from growers and turning them into food ingredients, animal feed, fuel (ethanol) and chemicals.
Ranked No. 7 on Fortune’s 2013 list of the 50 most powerful women in business, Patricia Woertz was named CEO and president of Archer Daniels Midland in 2006 and chairman of the board in 2007.
8. Jack Menzel and Dan Entin
Google product managing director and Zagat (Google) director of digital product management
When you need to know how long and at what temperature to roast a four pound chicken, what do you do? You Google it. Same thing goes when you need a restaurant recommendation or a good recipe for banana walnut bread.
Menzel, Entin and their team are the people behind the effort to bring that information -- vital details about food and dining -- to the consumer.
9. Jeremy Stoppelman
Co-founder and CEO, Yelp
It used to be that if you loved or hated a restaurant, you could complain to your friends, but that's as far as it went. Enter Yelp, the "online urban city guide" that allows users to review restaurants and other businesses. It now hosts some 47 million reviews, and often drives customer to or away from a business, depending on the reviews.
Stoppelman, a computer engineer and former VP of engineering at Paypal, co-founded Yelp in 2004 and remains involved as a very hands-on CEO.
David MacLennan
Cargill Chairman and CEO
From the company website: "Cargill provides food, agriculture, financial and industrial products and services to the world." It lists as its businesses everything from food ingredients, to meat and poultry, to energy and industrial to farmer services.
David MacLennan was elected to the office of CEO in September of 2013. He joined the Minneapolis based company in 1991.
The rest of the list
Here is the rest of the list, 11-50, courtesy of The Daily Meal:
11. William J. Delaney III, CEO, Sysco
12. Donnie Smith, President and CEO, Tyson Foods
13. Craig Jelinek, CEO, Costco
14. Pete Wells, Restaurant Critic, The New York Times
15. Donald Thompson, Vice Chairman and CEO, McDonalds
16. Paul Grimwood, CEO and Chairman, Nestlé USA
17. Pamela Bailey, President and CEO, Grocery Manufacturers Association
18. José Andrés, Chef-Restaurateur
19. Bob Tuschman, General Manager and Senior Vice President, Food Network
20. Fred DeLuca, Co-Founder and President, Subway
21. Rodney McMullen, Chairman and CEO, The Kroger Co.
22. Michelle Obama, First Lady of the United States
23. Ben Silbermann, Founder and CEO, Pinterest
24. Kevin Systrom, Co-Founder and CEO, Instagram
25. David Murdock, CEO, Dole Food Company
26. Mario Batali and Joe Bastianich, Chef/ Restaurateurs
27. David Kirchhoff, CEO, Weight Watchers International
28. John Mackey, Founder and Co-CEO, Whole Foods Market
29. Julie Packard, Executive Director and Vice-Chairman, Monterey Bay Aquarium
30. Steve Spinner, CEO, President, and Director, United Natural Foods, Inc.
31. Bob Aiken, President and CEO, Feeding America
32. Dan Bane, Chairman and CEO, Trader Joe's
33. Bill Shore, Founder and CEO, Share Our Strength
34. Michael Pollan, Author
35. Danny Meyer, Restaurateur
36. Susan Ungaro, President, James Beard Foundation
37. Thomas Keller, Chef-Restaurateur
38. Dawn Sweeney, President and CEO, National Restaurant Association
39. Alice Waters, Chef-Restaurateur and Founder and Director, The Edible Schoolyard Project
40. Dana Cowin, Editor-in-Chief, Food & Wine
41. Tracey Ryder, President and CEO, Edible Communities Publications
42. Mark Bittman, Journalist and Author
43. Ingrid Newkirk, President and Co-Founder, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals
44. Catherine Cassidy, Vice President and Editor-in-Chief, Taste of Home
45. Tom Colicchio, Chef-Restaurateur and TV Personality
46. Steve Ells, Founder/ Co-CEO, Chairman, Chipotle Mexican Grill
47. Bill Marler, Foodborne Illness Lawyer and Attorney
48. Matt Maloney, CEO, GrubHub Seamless
49. Adam Rapoport, Editor in Chief, Bon Appetit
50. Danielle Nierenberg and Ellen Gustafson, Co-Founders, The Food Tank