The Daily Meal names their picks for 2012's most influential foodies, with a list that takes in everyone from Michelle Obama and Alice Waters, to the CEOs of Tyson, Cargill, Monsanto and ADM.

We've certainly included some high-profile individuals — the ever-ubiquitous Wolfgang Puck (#13), who was arguably our first genuine modern-day food star; arbiter of Top-Chef-ness Tom Colicchio (#38); TV physician Dr. (Mehmet) Oz (#40); and first lady and healthy-eating advocate Michelle Obama (#8), to name but four — but they are interleafed with less familiar personalities. Among these are Jim Skinner (#6), who runs a little fast-food chain called McDonald's; Hugh Grant (#9) — no, not that Hugh Grant — who's the big boss at the controversial Monsanto company, purveyors extraordinaire of genetically modified seeds; Dawn Sweeney (#34), president and CEO of the National Restaurant Association (NRA); and Bill Marler (#46), food safety advocate and a personal injury lawyer who specializes in defending people who contract foodborne illnesses at the hands of large concerns.