Slow Food Movement

Founded by Carlo Petrini in Italy in 1986 as a response to fast food chains squeezing out mom and pop restaurant, Slow Food soon grew into a cause advocating fair trade, sustainable farming practices, and preserving and celebrating traditional foods. Eventually, Slow Food organizations formed in 131 countries in an effort to stop the industrialization of food production. In 2004, Slow Food International held its first Terra Madre food festival in Turin, Italy, just a short distance from the organization's headquarters in Bra. Two years later, 5,000 small farmers and food makers and 1,000 chefs participated in a second Terra Madre - an extravaganza hailed by some as the food Olympics.