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The Green Deal should include a biodiversity protection strategy and the reduction of the use of pesticides; these are vital steps to stop the decline of pollinators. On September 21, the second day of the Cheese festival in Bra, speakers from the European Commission and several European NGOs discussed how CAP reform fits into the narrative around the protection of the environment, biodiversity, and sustainable food systems.

Have you ever heard of cheese in a sack? Unless you’re a fully-fledged cheese nerd, the answer is probably no. Yet this dairy tradition—cheeses aged in sheep or goat skin—is perhaps the oldest category of cheeses in the world.

An important part of ensuring that tradtional products are valued and preserved is giving a platform for producers to showcase their work, their products, and their stories. As part of Cheese 2019, Slow Food invited producers to present a small panorama of such cheeses from around Europe—Ukraine, Norway, the United Kingdom, and Spain—including two Presidia and two Ark of Taste products.

The world of raw milk cheese is the theme of new Master’s degree at the University of Gastronomic Sciences in Pollenzo. The Raw Milk and Cheese course, designed together with Slow Food, will start in January 2021, taking one year to complete, during which the students will get to know the entire dairy chain in detail.

The word “natural” has become ubiquitous in our society; it is used in reference to food, wine, health, and clothing, among other things, and is as important in marketing as it is for individuals who use it to demonstrate that they are informed and morally conscious.
But what does “natural” really mean? In some countries and market sectors, it has a legal definition, but the range of such definitions and the frequency with which the word is used, even in casual conversation, have made it almost meaningless. Despite this, “natural” is virtually always understood to be good.

A study conducted by Slow Food reveals that the European quality product certification process lacks comprehensive evaluation, which has led to extremely diverse results and opened the door to the large industry players to market their food as quality products.
On September 20, a conference on product certification was organized at the Cheese festival in Bra, Italy, where European Union officials, representatives of European non-governmental organizations and Slow Food producers discussed the strengths and weaknesses of the European system of geographic indications.

The 12th edition of the world’s most important event dedicated to raw milk is officially off and running: this morning, local and regional officials, townspeople, and guests from more than 80 countries gathered in front of the town hall in Bra to kick off Cheese 2019 and celebrate the event’s theme, Natural is Possible.

Cheese wouldn’t be the world’s most important festival dedicated to raw milk cheese without the presence of Slow Food Presidia, the projects which protect traditional techniques, local breeds, artisanal products and rural landscapes.
There are more than a hundred dairy Presidia around the world, and at Cheese 2019 there’ll be 49 Italian Presidia and 10 more from other countries present with their own stands. You can find them in the appropriately named Presidia Street, between Via Principi di Piemonte and Via Marconi in Bra.