Power Versus Importance

I found it a little disturbing that the “family farmer” just barely made it onto a list of the 50 most powerful people in food for 2013. By just barely I mean in the number 50 spot. This is the third such list that a website called The Daily Meal has put out. It appears to be a good website with useful information about all things food. This year’s list includes many celebrity chefs and restaurateurs, which comes as not surprise. Then there are the heads of retail outlets and multinational food companies such as Whole foods, Kroger, McDonalds, Nestle, Tyson Foods, and even Walmart. Again, no surprises. Michael Pollan, Ingrid Newkirk, and Michelle Obama all made the list. Thankfully, no one representing the HSUS were on the list. The site’s editor writes that, “In the food world, the people with power are the ones who affect what and how and where and why we eat, or could if they wanted to”. And yes, most of the people listed do seem to have an inherent power to influence consumer food choices. That’s perhaps why the American farmer barely made it onto a “power” list of food people. Now if it had been a list of the 50 most “important” people in food, the family farmer would be in the #1 position.