Carlo Petrini, Slow Food movement founder, dies aged 76

Carlo Petrini, who founded the Slow Food movement in protest against the arrival of the first McDonald’s in Italy, died at age 76 in Bra in northern Italy’s Piedmont region. He had been diagnosed with prostate cancer in recent years. Slow Food, founded in 1986, campaigned against fast-food culture by promoting sustainability and local cuisine, and he led the organization as president until 2022. Petrini also established the University of Gastronomic Sciences in Pollenzo near Bra. Tributes came from Italian leaders, who praised his advocacy for sustainability, preservation of traditions, respect for the environment, and strengthening of food culture and production. He helped build a global movement connecting communities, farmers, artisans, cooks, activists, and young people around good, clean, and fair food.

"Carlo Petrini, the journalist who founded the Slow Food movement in protest against the arrival of the first McDonald's in Italy, has died aged 76. Petrini, who had been diagnosed with prostrate cancer in recent years, died in his home town of Bra in northern Italy's Piedmont region. He had led Slow Food, which since 1986 has campaigned against fast-food culture by promoting sustainability and local cuisine, as president until 2022."

"A statement from the Slow Food press office said Petrini, who also set up the University of Gastronomic Sciences in Pollenzo, near Bra, was a visionary leader and public intellectual with a profound commitment to the common good, human relationships and the natural world. Through his initiatives, Petrini had brought to life a global movement rooted in the values of good, clean and fair food for all, connecting communities, farmers, food artisans, cooks, activists, and young people across the world, the statement added."

"Petrini established Slow Food in 1986 after widespread protests against the opening of Italy's first McDonald's close to the Spanish Steps in central Rome. Petrini and his fellow activists handed out plates of pasta to passersby while shouting: We don't want fast food. We want slow food. The restaurant opened despite the protests, with McDonald"

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