What is Slow Food? an international eco-gastronomic, membersupported, non-profit organization

Size: px
Start display at page:

Download "What is Slow Food? an international eco-gastronomic, membersupported, non-profit organization"

Transcription

1 copyright 2014

2 What is Slow Food? an international eco-gastronomic, membersupported, non-profit organization founded in 1989 to counteract fast food and fast life and promote local sustainable food a grassroots network whose supporters are linking the pleasure of good food with a commitment to their community and the environment

3 The Slow Food Network: more than 100,000 members in 160 countries that make up 1,300 convivia, as well as schools, hospitals, institutions and local authorities, together with 2,000 food communities, 1,000 cooks, 400 academics and 1,000 students and young producers from 160 countries, that represent and participate in Terra Madre Hundreds of schools, hospitals, local authorities and other organizations who work with us

4 Convivium A local Slow Food chapter made up of people like you who care about what they eat. A convivium organizes activities to highlight local foods and producers such as tastings, workshops, farm visits, film screenings, school gardens and food education for children, community meals and producers markets. Food Community All the people involved in producing and distributing food, that are closely linked to a geographic area from a historic, social and cultural point of view. Food communities make quality products in a sustainable way.

5 What does Slow Food do? Defends our right to pleasure Promotes good, clean, and fair food Supports local food To do so Slow Food: connects producers and co-producers educates consumers and children protects food biodiversity organizes events and develops campaigns fosters network-building and exchanges

6 The right to pleasure Slow Food shows us that pleasure and responsibility are not exlcusive - in fact it is essential that we bring them together. Everyone has the fundamental right to share the everyday joys food has to offer and consequently the responsibility to protect the heritage of food cultures that makes this pleasure possible

7 What kind of food good + clean + fair is Slow? = sustainable quality food

8 it tastes good and gives us pleasure to eat it

9 clean the way it s produced respects the environment, animal welfare and our health

10 accessible prices for consumers fair and conditions and pay for small-scaleproducers

11 Local Communities, Global Results Our vision is not an archaic one, but rather a particularly modern one. The dignity of the local economy is the last thing that allows the realization of what is fast becoming an oxymoron: sustainable development. Social sustainability must be sought as much with our actions at a global level as at a local level. We can do our part as an international organization as well as individual convivia and food communities. Carlo Petrini, Slow Food Founder Opening Speech, Terra Madre 2006

12 Why Local? Fresh taste: seasonal products, harvested when perfectly ripe, and locally suitable varieties, rather than those selected for their ability to withstand longdistance transportation Fewer food-miles: less transport and packaging mean less pollution Better knowledege of and control over what we eat and how it is produced Ensuring the survival of traditional, sustainable production methods, indigenous breeds, species and food varieties Preservation and protection of the local landscape and regionality

13 Strong ties among producers, consumers, cooks, schools, organizations, hospitals, local authorities and Slow Food convivia create a strong local community. Building strong and effective local communities implies: - educating consumers to become co-producers - promoting short production chains

14 Co-producer? Eating is an agricultural act. Wendell Berry A co-producer is a consumer who knows and understands problems of food production: quality, economics and processing requirements, the culinary aspect. It s not just someone who consumes. It s that they want to know. Carlo Petrini

15 Short production chain Alternative distribution systems reducing the distance from field to table, bringing producers closer to co-producers Farmers markets such as the Slow Food Earth Markets Community Supported Agriculture Buyers groups Direct selling

16 What is an Earth Market? A worldwide NETWORK of farmers' markets respecting the SLOW FOOD philosophy. COMMUNITY-run markets that strengthen local food networks. Quality food you can TRUST, bought directly from the producers. Fair prices for both consumers and producers that foster LOCAL ECONOMIES. Access to good, clean and fair food from the local area to reduce food miles and SHORTEN the FOOD CHAIN. Consumers become COPRODUCERS, learning from producers and EDUCATIONAL activities.

17 Education the Slow Way an approach that allows children and adults to understand food, how it s made, by who and where it comes from food and taste education programs, including Journey to the Origins of Taste school gardens producer visits classes and conferences Dream Canteen programs for schools and other institutions

18 The University of Gastronomic Sciences first academic institution dedicated to the study of gastronomy multidisciplinary curriculum field trips

19 Projects, Activities and Events

20 Terra Madre is A network launched by Slow Food to bring together sustainable farmers, fishermen and breeders with cooks, researchers and academics and youth A collaborative, multi-disciplinary approach to improve the food system through opportunities for meeting and knowledge exchange A platform to promote small scale, artisan production of quality food An alternative to the dominant food and seed multinationals and the standardization of taste. An expression of every person s and people s right to food sovereignty

21 Terra Madre Network Meetings Biannual, World Meeting of Food Communities held in Turin since 2004 National Terra Madre meetings have been held in many countries Regional Terra Madre meeting, such as Terra Madre Balkans Terra Madre Indigenous People held for the first time in 2011.

22

23

24 Terra Madre DAY International day of action to celebrate eating locally More than a 1,000 events organized each year since 2009 by Slow Food convivia and food communities Community festivals, campaigns, workshops for children, excursions to producers and much more celebrating local food traditions and demonstrating the Slow Food philosophy.

25

26 Protecting Food Biodiversity

27 The Foundation was created in 2003 to support projects that defend our world s heritage of diverse crops, animal breeds and food traditions

28 Ark of Taste created in 1996 catalogues foods at risk of being wiped out by the industrialized food system 900 foods listed worldwide today 1596 products are on the arc Presidia created in 2000 projects to support groups of small-scale producers of selected Ark of Taste foods There are 300 projects worldwide

29 Events Slow Food organizes events all over the world to showcase quality products, to bring producers together with consumers and to create opportunities for food and taste education. The events range from neighborhood dinners to national or international fairs such as : Salone del Gusto, Italy Slow Fish, Italy Cheese, Italy Yokohama Fair, Japan Eurogusto, France Slow Food Fair of the Good Taste, Germany Algusto, Spain

30 Campaigns and Communication To raise public awareness Slow Food: launches campaigns: Raw Milk Cheese; Slow Fish; No GMOs, Stop Landgrabbing, Dream Canteen; 10,000 Gardens in Africa edits a wide range of publications: books, magazines, newsletters offers constantly updated news and information at

31 Discover more and find Slow Food near you

32 Let s Cook Up a Revolution Together Join Slow Food Celebrate the pleasures and the diversity the world's best foods offer us Become a member of a large and international community defending sustainable agriculture, breeding, fishing and food production

33