She received her BA from UC Berkeley, Phi Beta Kappa, after attending school there from 1954-1959. She did postdoctoral work in Biochemistry and Developmental Biology at Brandeis University and joined the faculty in Biology. From 1976 to 1986, she was Associate Dean for Human Biology and taught nutrition at the UCSF School of Medicine. From 1986-88, she was senior nutrition policy advisor in the Department of Health and Human Services and editor of The Surgeon General’s Report on Nutrition and Health. Her research examines scientific and socioeconomic influences on food choice, obesity, and food safety, emphasizing the role of food marketing. She is the author of numerous articles in professional publications and is author or co-author of seven books (see below).

She writes the Food Matters column for the San Francisco Chronicle, and blogs at www.foodpolitics.com and for the Atlantic Food Channel, and twitters @marionnestle.

Nutrition in Medical Practice (Jones Medical Publications, 1985)Food Politics: How the Food Industry Influences Nutrition and Health (University of California Press, 2002, revised edition, 2007)Safe Food: The Politics of Food Safety (University of California Press, 2003, revised edition 2010)Taking Sides: Clashing Views on Controversial Issues in Food and Nutrition (McGraw-Hill/Dushkin, 2004)What to Eat (North Point Press/Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 2006)Pet Food Politics: The Chihuahua in the Coal Mine (University of California Press, 2008)Feed Your Pet Right (Free Press/Simon & Schuster, 2010).