Founder of the 'Slow Food' movement, Carlo Petrini, dies at 76

Carlo Petrini, founder of the Italian "Slow Food" movement, which promotes quality food, genuine ingredients and local products, walks with participants during a Slow Food meeting
SLOW FOOD/Disclosure via REUTERS
The Italian Carlo Petrini, founder of the 'Slow Food' movement, which promotes quality traditional cuisine and sustainable agriculture, has died at the age of 76, his organization announced this Friday (22).
According to the movement, Petrini died on Thursday night (21) at his home in the city of Bra, in Piedmont, in northern Italy.
Journalist and writer, the Italian founded the movement in 1986, in protest against the opening of the first 'fast food' restaurants in the country.
Since then, the movement has expanded to 160 countries in its mission to promote biodiversity and encourage a healthy eating model that respects the environment and local cultures.
"The most important work of 'Slow Food' was to return the concept of gastronomy to its holistic and multidisciplinary form. The idea of gastronomy as something reduced to recipes and Michelin stars is very limited," Petrini told AFP in an interview in 2016.
Carlo Petrini, founder of Italian "Slow Food" movement
SLOW FOOD/File photo via REUTERS
In the statement of his death, Slow Food described him as a "visionary" who "gave life to a global movement rooted in the values of good, clean and fair food for all" and cited his famous quote: "He who sows utopia reaps reality" as a summary of his life.
"He passionately believed that dreams and visions, when they are fair, capable of inspiring collective participation and pursued with conviction, are not impossible to achieve", stated the Slow Food movement.
In addition to his work in the movement, Petrini founded the international 'Terra Madre' network for sustainable agriculture and the University of Gastronomic Sciences in Pollenzo.

Source: G1