Slow Food Movement

Slow Food, an international non-profit organization

Summary

Introduction

1. The international movement Begining Aims Means

2. Comparison USA/France Different problems Different food traditions

Conclusion

Introduction

"A hundred years ago, people ate between one hundred and a hundred and twenty different species of food. Now our diet is made up of at most ten or twelve species."

Carlo Petrini, founder of Slow Food

1. The international movement

The origine : In response to the opening of a Mc Donald in

Rome's famous Piazza di Spagna in 1986.

Great success during the last decade because of : The panic over mad cow disease The outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease The debate over genetically modified food The psychosis of the avian flu

1. The international movement

The growth of the movement : 1980 : first idea of an association which takes care

of food quality 1989 : International Slow Food movement

founded in Paris 1990 : First international Slow Food congress in

Venice 1992-1994 : Creation of Slow Food Italy,

Deutschland and Switzerland 2000 : Creation of Slow Food USA 2003 : Creation of Slow Food France

Few figures about the movement :

20,000 members in 1995

Today more than 80,000 members in over 100 countries (35,000 in Italy)

Membership : anyone can become a member of SF for around 50$ / year

1. The international movement

The Aims

First aims : Oppose to fast-food Culture and promote good, clean and fair food.

The food we eat should :

Taste good Be produced in a clean, environmental way Receive a fair pay

The Aims

Secondary aims : Protect traditional local food and biodiversity

Examples of loss : 75 % of European food product diversity lost since

1900 93 % of American food product diversity lost in the

same time period 33 % of livestock varieties disappeared or near

disappearing 30,000 vegetable varieties extincted in the last

century, and one more every six hours

The Means

The Convivium : S.F. Movement’s basic organisational structure

in an area with cultural and culinary history

Local actions and activities :

Food and wine events “Taste workshop” Promotion of local “lost” food

The Means

The Ark of Taste : catalogue of forgotten and disappearing flavors and food

The sentinels : local projects to save and promote foods of the Ark of Taste by financing artisans and farmers who produce such products

The Means

International Events : Salone Del Gusto : the biggest

market exhibition of ecogatronomy

next edition 26-30 october in Turin

Terra Madre : world meeting

of food communities

Slow food on Film

2. Comparison USA/France

Slow Food is an international movement including many countries

But each country has is own reason for joining

Different problems

France (and EU) : loss of quality and variety

Subsidies for quantity Encourage intensive agribusiness No reward for quality

Don’t care of the integrity of the product to the area

Loss of traditional food

Different problems

Old and deep fast-food implantation

Nearly traditional

USA : 2 « opposites » movements :

American Gastronomical comunity : No political consciousness

American environmental movement : Only food allowed = tofu ( or soja )

Different food traditions

Different food tradition

The Ark of Taste

France ( 15 products ) Bigorre Gascony

Black Pig

Maine-Anjou Cow Breed

Pardailhan Black Turnip

USA ( 15 products ) American Buff Goose

Delaware Chicken

Crane Melon

Conclusion

Slow Food, an international non-profit organization : Its aim :

protect the pleasures of the table from convenience food and agribusiness

Its philosophy : promoting gastronomic culture developing taste education conserving agricultural biodiversity protecting traditional foods at risk of extinction

Conclusion

Such a movement attract critics : Slow food = Culinary wing of anti-

globalization movement Slow food accused of being elitist for

product selection

but also supporters : Slow life movement www.eatrealfood.org

www.eatrealfood.org

www.eatrealfood.org

Baby in action

Sources

Web sites www.slowfood.com www.slowfood.fr http://www.slowfoodusa.org/

News article http://www.thenation.com/doc/20010820/stille

Debate

USA created their own movement 3 years before France, what about that ?

Food : an important source of identity ?

Slow Food Movement or José Bové, which kind of action is the more efficient ?

Thank you for your attention

And don’t forget this famous phrase of the philosopher Ludwig Feuerbach's :

"We are what we eat."