As #MeToo gains momentum, James Beard Foundation seeks greater diversity
With the food world convulsed over allegations of sexual misconduct and other gender-related problems, the James Beard Foundation, a leading supporter of the culinary arts, is overhauling its awards program to increase the diversity of the people and organizations it honors and the transparency of how it makes those decisions.
Among the changes announced Tuesday:
- The foundation’s awards committees will increase their gender, ethnic and racial diversity to “at least” match the numbers in the U.S. census.
- The Who’s Who of Food and Beverage in America program, which only allowed previous honorees to nominate new members, is being scrapped.
- Starting Oct. 15, 2018, the general public can suggest individuals for consideration for the foundation’s Leadership Awards.
- The first two weeks of entry will be free for the Book, Broadcast Media, and Design Awards in order to remove any financial barrier to entry.
These changes will go into effect in advance of the October 15, 2018, call for entry period for the 2019 Awards.