Yasmin Tayag, James Beard Media awardee – Photo from yasmintayag.com
Filipino American journalist Yasmin Tayag has won a 2026 James Beard Media Award, earning national recognition for reporting that examined food, health, policy and consumer culture.
Tayag, a staff writer at The Atlantic, won in the Health and Wellness category of the James Beard Journalism Awards. The winning package included Tayag’s reporting on wellness politics, reformulated processed foods and the booming market for muscle-building supplements.
The James Beard Foundation said the category recognizes food- and drink-related journalism on subjects that may include diet, nutrition, chronic disease, aging, mental health and public health. The 2026 Media Awards were presented June 13 at the Art Institute of Chicago.
Tayag’s reporting has focused on how wellness claims, food marketing, political movements and health trends shape what Americans buy, eat and believe about nutrition. Her work places food coverage beyond recipes and restaurants, treating it as a window into policy, science and everyday behavior.
Tayag has built a beat around the future of food, using science, policy and culture to examine how Americans eat and how the food industry shapes those choices.
Her recognition adds to the visibility of Filipino American voices in national food media, where food is increasingly covered as identity, labor, public health and community history.
