Carlo Petrini, founder of Slow Food and pioneer of the global movement for good, clean, and fair food for all, has died at the age of 76 in his hometown, Bra, in Italy’s Piedmont region.
Petrini was one of the most influential voices in redefining food as an issue of environmental sustainability, cultural identity, and social justice, as well as nourishment. In a statement, Slow Food describes Petrini as “a visionary leader and public intellectual with a profound commitment to the common good, human relationships, and the natural world.” His work connected “communities, farmers, food artisans, cooks, activists, and young people across the world,” the statement says.
In 1986, Petrini founded Arcigola—which would later become Slow Food—in response to McDonalds opening its first location in Italy, in Rome’s Piazza di Spagna. At demonstrations against the opening, Petrini and other activists handed out plates of pasta while saying, “We don’t want fast food. We want slow food.”
Under Petrini’s leadership, Arcigola evolved from a small grassroots movement in the Italian countryside, into an internationally renowned global network active in more than 160 countries. He was elected as Slow Food’s President in 1989, in Paris, when more than 20 delegations from around the world signed the Slow Food Manifesto. He served as President until 2022.
Petrini dedicated his life to imagining, realizing, and nurturing what Slow Food has become today, the organization says. He was instrumental in developing key initiatives that transformed the movement’s vision into concrete action.
Petrini founded Terra Madre in 2004. A global network, Terra Madre seeks to connect small-scale farmers, fishers, and food artisans to promote sustainable, equitable food systems and preserve traditional food heritage and knowledge.
In 2004, Petrini also founded the University of Gastronomic Sciences, the first academic institution dedicated to the multidisciplinary study of food and food culture. The University, located in Piedmont, has trained around 4,000 food professionals from 100 countries.
Alongside Bishop of Verona, Monsignor Domenico Pompili, Petrini founded the Laudato Si’ Communities (LCS) in 2017. LCS is a network of around 80 local groups dedicated to furthering Pope Francis’s encyclical letter, “Laudato Si’: On Care for Our Common Home,” the first-ever papal encyclical devoted to the crisis of our planet.
In 2004 Petrini was named a ‘European Hero’ by Time magazine, and in 2008 he was the only Italian on The Guardian’s list of ‘50 People Who Could Save the World.’ Petrini was named United Nations Environment Programme Champion of the Earth 2013, honoring him for taking bold steps to inspire positive change, and United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization Special Ambassador to Zero Hunger for Europe in 2016.
Petrini authored numerous books, including Slow Food: The Case for Taste. Published in 2001, The Case for Taste features a foreword by Alice Waters, chef, author and advocate. In 2005 Petrini published Slow Food Nation: Why Our Food Should Be Good, Clean and Fair. A response to the dangers highlighted in the book Fast Food Nation, Slow Food Nation outlines various means of taking back control of the global food system. Terra Madre: Forging a New Global Network of Sustainable Food Communities explores the value of alliances between food producers and food consumers.
Terrafutura: Dialogues with Pope Francis on Integral Ecology, published in 2020, features three original dialogues between Pope Francis and Petrini, exploring themes of biodiversity, the economy, migration, education, and community. In the 2025 book A Taste for Change: The Ecological Transition As a Way to Happiness, Petrini argues for a new paradigm for developing a sustainable solution for the economy and the food chain.
“Carlo inspired us all to think not only about what we eat, but the farmers, ranchers, fishers, foragers and other food producers who make life delicious. His passion will continue to inspire all of us who eat,” says Food Tank President Danielle Nierenberg.
Carlo Petrini’s death leaves a great void, not only in the world of food and science, but throughout society, Italy’s President, Sergio Mattarella says. “His insights and constant advocacy for sustainability, the need to preserve traditions, the enhancement of local cultures and respect for the environment have generated a new awareness of food culture and its production.”
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Photo courtesy of Slow Food
