Carlo Petrini, Founder of Slow Food and Global Champion of Sustainable Food, Dies

Carlo Petrini, founder of the international Slow Food movement and one of the most influential figures in contemporary gastronomy, died on May 21 at the age of 76 in his hometown of Bra, in Italy’s Piedmont region. News of his death prompted an outpouring of tributes from the worlds of gastronomy, sustainable agriculture and international institutions. 

A journalist, writer and activist, Petrini launched the Slow Food movement in 1986 in response to the opening of the first McDonald’s restaurant near Rome’s Spanish Steps. What began as a symbolic protest against fast-food culture grew into a global network active in more than 160 countries, promoting food that is “good, clean and fair” for everyone. 

Throughout his career, Petrini championed the preservation of food biodiversity, support for small-scale producers and the protection of local culinary traditions. He also founded the University of Gastronomic Sciences in Pollenzo, widely regarded as a pioneering institution in the interdisciplinary study of food and sustainability. 

Among the many initiatives he led were Terra Madre, a worldwide network of farming communities, and projects aimed at safeguarding traditional food products threatened by industrialization. In 2013, he received the United Nations “Champions of the Earth” award in recognition of his environmental commitment. 

Social media has been filled with messages describing him as a “visionary,” “humanist” and “quiet revolutionary” who transformed the way gastronomy is understood by linking it to social justice, culture and environmental respect. Slow Food itself recalled one of his best-known sayings: “Those who sow utopia reap reality,” a phrase that perfectly summarizes the legacy of a man who turned a local idea into a global movement.