2019 EatingWell American Food Heroes

Our annual American Food Heroes list honors 10 people doing amazing things to make food better in our country—whether it's through uniting cultures through food, finding innovative ways to feed the hungry or thinking outside the box to reduce food waste.

American Food Heroes

EatingWell's 3rd annual list, compiled with the help of a team of experts, honors 10 people shaking up the food world in exciting and impactful ways. They're making school lunches more nutritious. They're eliminating plastic straws from our landfills and oceans. They're using the influential platform of "Big Food" to make changes-like phasing out antibiotic use in chickens-that shockwave the industry and effect an even bigger change. And they're as passionate as we are about continually pushing to make food better in our country.

Anthony Bourdain

Celebrity Chef, Author and TV Host

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United cultures through food.

Chef Ann Cooper

Founder of the Chef Ann Foundation and Director of Food SErvices, Boulder Valley School District

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Making school food good food.

James Rogers

Founder and CEO, Apeel Sciences

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Innovating the fight against food waste.

Beth Robertson-Martin

Director of Commodities and Pollinator Council Lead, General Mills

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Championing pollinators.

George Siemon

Founding Farmer and Former CEO, Organic Valley

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Crusading for better organic standards.

Rebecca Zimmer

Global Director of Environment, Starbucks

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Saving plastic straws from landfills.

Colleen Lindholz

President, Kroger Health

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Supporting better grocery choices.

Jim Perdue

Executive Chairman, Perdue Farms

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Leading the antibiotics-free charge.

Pete Malinowski

Executive Director, The Billion Oyster Project

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Restoring healthy waterways.

Lauren Puryear

Extreme Couponer and Founder of For the Love of Others

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Helping the hungry, one coupon at a time.

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