Slow Meat

Meat has become the poster of everything that’s wrong with the modern food system. But can it also be good, clean and fair? Slow Food USA tackles a hot topic with its first ever ‘Slow Meat’ event, to be held in Denver from June 20 – 22.

In the first Slow Food event of its kind, Slow Meat will bring together ranchers, butchers, policy experts, producers and of course consumers to investigate the good, the bad and the ugly in the meat production system in America. More than one hundred delegates from across the USA will share their ideas and expertise to identify what can be done regarding five different aspects from field to fork: land and water use, animal husbandry, processing and distribution of meat, marketing and healthy food retail, and consumption and nutrition.

“Our current industrial meat grid confines animals, wealth and choices,” said Richard McCarthy, Executive Director of Slow Food USA. “In an effort to maximize efficiency and minimize price, we have abandoned common sense and moved away from traditional animal husbandry practices and land management. Slow Meat addresses these issues to create a move toward free-range animals, choices and resources.”

Keynote speaker Allan Savory, the Zimbabwean biologist, farmer, soldier, exile and environmentalist, will frame meat within the context of climate change. The symposium will also include a guided bison butchery workshop run by local butchers; a tasting event open to the public which will highlight top US producers, cooks and meats, as well as locally crafted beers, wines and spirits; a dinner featuring the bison prepared by internationally renowned chefs; and a Slow Food Youth Network Disco Soup.

Representatives from Slow Food convivia will take part in workshops and networking, and come up with an action plan for Slow Food communities across the USA, to put into practice in the coming year.

For more information on Slow Meat visit: slowfoodusa.org