Marion Nestle, Others Honored As REAL Food Innovators In DC

During the inaugural REAL Food Innovator Awards in Washington, D.C., Dr. Marion Nestle was recently named the Food Innovator of the Year by the United States Healthful Food Council. Dr. Nestle, who is the Paulette Goddard Professor in the Department of Nutrition, Food Studies, and Public Health at New York University, is the author of several influential books on food politics, and until recently, the monthly Food Matters column for the San Francisco Chronicle.

"We're in the middle of a food revolution and I cannot think of anything more important to the health of more people than food," Dr. Nestle said during her keynote address.

Chef Sam Talbot, a Top Chef 'Fan Favorite' and the author of The Sweet Life: Diabetes without Boundaries, prepared dinner for over 200 guests at the award ceremony, which was hosted at the Historic Whittemore House in Washington, D.C. on March 13th.

Others honored as Food Innovators included Honest Tea co-founder and president Seth Goldman, Chipotle CEO's Steve Ells and Monty Moran, and former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg. See the full list of food pioneers. 

"Nothing within our control affects our health more than the food we eat, yet serving healthful foods is generally perceived as not being good for business," said Lawrence Williams, CEO of the USHFC. "Each of these individuals is here to help change that equation."

Karen Lo is an associate editor at The Daily Meal. Follow her on Twitter @appleplexy.