Foodies you need to know

When first lady Michelle Obama took shovel to dirt last month to break ground on a White House vegetable garden, she may not have realized she was moving a mountain. That's likely how it felt to a group of people who for years have been vocal champions of quality food and sustainable agriculture. At least one of them had even suggested a White House kitchen garden to four former administrations. These food revolutionaries want Americans to eat better and slower, and to understand how their food is produced and where it comes from. The cause has sometimes seemed elitist, especially in tough economic times, but their philosophies have always provided food for thought.

The interest from the White House represents a seismic shift. Expect to hear them quoted more in the coming months as the topic of food quality and safety moves to the front burner. Here are the people who got the ball rolling and why they matter.


Quotes in this story came from the New York Times, the Nation, the New York Observer and the Dallas Morning News.

Michael Pollan




Alice Waters




Dan Barber




Wendell Berry




Carlo Petrini

Claim to fame: Italian journalist who founded the International Slow Food movement in 1986. Today, the group has 85,000 members in 100 countries.

Why he matters: Petrini's protest against the opening of a McDonald's near the Spanish Steps in Rome started his quest to find an antidote for the creep of industrialized food. The philosophy of the movement, which has chapters in Florida (including Sarasota,, is that food must be "good, clean, and fair."

What he says: "We are enslaved by speed and have all succumbed to the same insidious virus: Fast Life."

Eric Schlosser

Claim to fame: Investigative journalist and author of the muckraking Fast Food Nation, an expose of the fast food industry that is often compared to Upton Sinclair's The Jungle.

Why he matters: Though Schlosser has written on other topics (marijuana laws, farm workers and prisons), his book about the dirty secrets about fast food resonated with the nation and kicked off widespread discussions about childhood obesity and how we eat. He is still in demand to talk about the subject.

What he says: “There is no healthy Happy Meal."

Marion Nestle

Claim to fame: Professor of food studies and nutrition at New York University and author of several books, including Food Politics, an examination of how the food industry influences government nutritional policy. (She is not related to the company of the same name.)

Why she matters: The former adviser to the surgeon general focuses her mighty voice on nutrition and health — and expects the government to do the same.

What she says: "It's way too early to tell what the Obama administration will do. I tend not to pay any attention to the rhetoric. I want to let the actions speak for themselves."

Tom Vilsack

Claim to fame: Former Iowa governor and newly appointed secretary of agriculture.

Why he matters: A proponent of fresh and whole foods in schools, he wants to lead Americans away from industrially produced foods. He appointed Kathleen Merrigan, a Tufts University professor and outspoken guru of sustainable agriculture, as a top deputy.

What he says: “Let us build a 21st century rural economy of cutting-edge companies and technologies that lead us to energy and food security."

Foodies you need to know 03/31/09 [Last modified: Thursday, April 2, 2009 4:15pm]

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