A New Way of Eating: Slow Food's Contribution to a Shift in American Food Culture.

A New Way of Eating: Slow Food's Contribution to a Shift in American Food Culture. By Darcy Mullen

Started in 1986 Carlo Petrini voted President Combating Standardization and Globalization International Movement by 1989 15 countries at first conference in Paris Promotion of values through different forms of education Organized tastings, publications, university and school programs The Slow Food Movement

Buono, Pulito e Giusto:Good, Clean and Fair. • Working to save the traditional food cultures. • In the Slow Food movement there is a mutual understanding between the producers and consumers of the quality of the product. • Fast food has become even more prevalent in recent years making Slow Food’s objectives more pertinent. • Slow Food is combating many of the effects of fast food. • The name is the opposite of fast food.

The Growth of Fast Food in America • McDonald’s developed drive-in restaurants into a factory style production – built for efficiency • Their production goal is to create a standardized product, no matter where you are. • McDonald’s now controls consumption and production of the majority of beef, pork, tomatoes, lettuce, potatoes and apples in the United States.

Obesity in America since the start of Fast Food. • 400,000 deaths per year are caused by obesity related diseases1. • Obesity has tripled in the last 30 years.2 • It now affects children, who have bad nutrition in conjunction with their new, sedentary lifestyle • The average child plays 7½ hours of video games a day3 1Super Size Me 2Letsmove.gov 3Letsmove.gov

Slow Food USA: Came to Brooklyn, New York in the year 2000 Today there are more than 200 local chapters around the country. Programs started since they have been active: Time for Lunch Campaign Youth Food Movement Renewing America’s Food Traditions

Food culture beyond the Slow Food movement A growth of programs, books, and movies with similar themes: Super Size Me, Fast Food Nation, The Omnivore’s Dilemma, Jamie Oliver’s food revolution. Other projects like Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) developed rapidly.

Contrasting governmental actions:The United States Michelle Obama promotes healthy eating, local foods, and a movement fighting obesity. She created an organic garden at the White House in March of 2009. Promotes education around obesity and diabetes. Created the Let’s Move Campaign

Italy The country in which Slow Food was started already has a natural cultural value of food. Schools in some regions have been serving biological food to school children for years already. The minister of agriculture has been promoting the “McItaly” burger for McDonald’s. An all-Italian product to help the economy and farmers. Would use 1,000 tones of Italian meat each month. Slow Food proponents around Italy are not in support of this product. Luca Zaia, Italian Minister of Agriculture and Forestry

Where does that leave us? • The value of education is one of the most important features in the Slow Food movement. • As people who live in this culture, it is important to see the value of food. Even small steps help. • Everything ties back to health. If you are not paying extra for healthier food, you will pay in health care costs.

Thank you.

A New Way of Eating: Slow Food's Contribution to a Shift in American Food Culture.