Founded in reaction to fast food and fast life, the Slow Food movement has continually evolved since the late 1980s. From the small group of Piedmontese food lovers, led by Carlo Petrini, to the fight against the installation of McDonald’s in Rome in 1986, the movement has become international and transformed into a way of life. ‘In the mid-90s, I had the intuition that we could no longer just talk about gastronomy in the traditional way, as the selfish gourmet or food lover would. Speaking only about culinary arts is now outdated, while global biodiversity is under threat.‘ For Slow Food, quality food requires the combination of these three inseparable characteristics that every food must possess: good, clean, and fair. In order to encourage citizens to become aware of their food, its origin, its taste, and how our food choices impact the rest of the world, the movement has implemented various projects to defend local food traditions, preserve food biodiversity, and promote quality artisanal products. From the Sentinels, small producers fighting to preserve endangered food products, to the Alliance of Chefs, many people and chefs have joined the movement in France and worldwide.
