Carlo Petrini, the father of the international “Slow Food” movement, has died / The moment a company boss told him “I am the enemy”
Carlo Petrini, the Italian who started the international “Slow Food” movement that radically changed the way the world thinks about food production and consumption, has died at the age of 76, his organization announced, according to Reuters.
Petrini died on Thursday in his hometown of Bra, in the Piedmont region of northwestern Italy, the organization added, without specifying the cause of death. In recent years, he had revealed that he had been diagnosed with prostate cancer.
“He gave birth to a global movement based on the values of good, clean and fair food for all,” Slow Food said in a statement.
An opinionated speaker and writer, Petrini spoke about agriculture and food quality as cultural, social and political issues.
He helped promote small farmers, traditional food practices and biodiversity at a time when mass consumption and globalization threatened to erode them.
“The passing of Carlo Petrini leaves a huge void not only in the world of food and wine science, but in society as a whole, and not just in Italy,” said Italian President Sergio Mattarella.
“I am your enemy”
Known as “Carlin” to friends and Slow Food supporters, he founded the grassroots movement in 1986 in protest against McDonald's opening its first fast food restaurant in Italy near Rome's famous Spanish Steps.
“Once, on a plane, a man approached me and said: 'I am your enemy. I am responsible for all the McDonald's restaurants in Italy,'” Petrini told the Corriere della Sera newspaper in December.
“I told him that, in fact, I was grateful, because without them there would be no Slow Food,” he added.
The movement, which emphasized quality, environmental sustainability and fair conditions for producers, grew under his leadership, transforming from a small group of friends in the countryside to a global international network present in over 160 countries.
Petrini also opened the University of Gastronomic Sciences in the city of Pollenzo, created the Ark of Taste, an international catalog of endangered foods, and Terra Madre, a global forum of food communities, producers and chefs.
