I made the Daily Meal’s: America’s 50 Most Powerful People in Food for 2015. Honestly, having a lawyer as part of this list may not be a good thing.
#43 Bill Marler, Foodborne Illness Lawyer and Attorney
An accomplished personal injury and products liability attorney, Marler has been litigating foodborne illness cases since 1993, when he represented Brianne Kiner, the most seriously sickened survivor of the Jack in the Box E. coli outbreak, creating a Washington State record for an individual personal injury action ($15.6 million). More than a lawyer, Marler has become an advocate for a safer food supply, petitioning the USDA to better regulate pathogenic E. coli, working with nonprofit food safety and foodborne illness victims’ organizations, and helping spur the passage of the 2010-2011 FDA Food Safety Modernization Act. He also helps keep us in the loop with his blog, which he updates on a near-daily basis.
I’m up from 47th in 2014, And, wedged between some interesting people this year:
#50 Adam Rapoport, Editor in Chief, Bon Appétit
#49 Ingrid Newkirk, President and Co-Founder, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals
#48 José Andrés, Chef-Restaurateur
#47 Julie Packard, Executive Director and Vice-Chairman, Monterey Bay Aquarium
#46 Steve Spinner, CEO, President, and Director, United Natural Foods, Inc.
#45 Alice Waters, Chef-Restaurateur and Founder and Director, The Edible Schoolyard Project
#44 David Murdock, CEO, Dole Food Company
#43 Bill Marler, Foodborne Illness Lawyer and Attorney
#42 Bill Shore, Founder and CEO, Share Our Strength #41 Jimmy Fallon, Host, The Tonight Show
#40 Paul Grimwood, CEO and Chairman, Nestlé USA
#39 Pete Wells, Restaurant Critic, The New York Times
#38 Michel Landel, CEO, Sodexo
#37 Craig Jelinek, CEO, Costco
#36 Mario Batali and Joe Bastianich, Chef/Restaurateurs
#35 Dan Bane, Chairman and CEO, Trader Joe’s
#33 Steve Ells, Founder/ Co-CEO, Chairman, Chipotle Mexican Grill
#32 Mehmet Oz, Doctor, Author, and TV Host
#31 Eric J. Foss, CEO, Aramark
#30 Fred DeLuca, Co-Founder and President, Subway
#29 Ben Silbermann, Founder and CEO, Pinterest
#28 Dawn Sweeney, President and CEO, National Restaurant Association
#27 Jim McGovern, Co-Chair, House Hunger Caucus
#26 David C. Novak, Executive Chairman, Yum! Brands
#25 Yancey Strickler, Founder & CEO, Kickstarter
#24 Paul Polman, CEO, Univeler
#23 Bob Tuschman, General Manager and Senior Vice President, Food Network
#22 Rodney McMullen, Chairman and CEO, The Kroger Co.
#21 Irene Rosenfeld, CEO, Mondelez International
#20 Patricia Woertz, Chairman, President, and CEO, Archer Daniels Midland
#19 Donnie Smith, President and CEO, Tyson Foods
#18 Steve Easterbrook, CEO, McDonalds
#17 Pamela Bailey, President and CEO, Grocery Manufacturers Association
#16 John T. Cahill, CEO, Kraft Foods
#15 David MacLennan, President and CEO, Cargill
#14 John Mackey, Founder and Co-CEO, Whole Foods Market
#13 Barack and Michelle Obama, President and First Lady
#12 Rachael Ray, Television personality
#11 William J. Delaney III, CEO, Sysco
#10 Jeremy Stoppelman, Co-Founder and CEO, Yelp
#9 Jack Menzel and Dan Entin, Google
#8 James P. Hoffa, General President, International Brotherhood of Teamsters
#7 Indra Nooyi, Chairman and CEO, PepsiCo
#6 Howard Schultz, CEO, Starbucks
#5 Michael R. Taylor, Deputy Commissioner for Food, Federal Drug Administration
#4 Susan Neely, President & CEO, American Beverage Association
#3 Hugh Grant, Chairman, President, and CEO, The Monsanto Company
#2 Jack Sinclair, Executive Vice President, Grocery Division, Walmart