Slow Food Events in Brussels to Discuss and Celebrate Sustainable Food

On November 28, Brussels hosts a Slow Food conference to debate the current European food system, as well as a convivial food event dedicated to local and endangered food products. On November 29, Slow Food President Carlo Petrini speaks at a conference on family farming organized by the European Commission.

As the European Commission develops its first EU Communication on Sustainability of the Food System, Slow Food* organizes the conference Towards a EU Common Sustainable Food Policy – Wishful Thinking or Reality? in Brussels, to be held on November 28 in the European Parliament, under the patronage of Parliament Vice-President and member of the Group of the Greens/European Free Alliance,  Isabelle Durant. The conference will explore food sustainability in the context of current European policies and how they can evolve to ensure a more holistic and integrated approach, as well as provide an opportunity for an open exchange of views between civil society and representatives of the European institutions. Slow Food founder Carlo Petrini will close the conference, calling on policy makers to make food sustainability a top priority and emphasizing the necessity to create a Common Sustainable Food Policy in Europe in order to achieve a radical change in the food system. On this occasion, he will also invite members of the European institutions to demonstrate their commitment to food sustainability by nominating a traditional food product, closely tied to their culture and territory, to the Slow Food Ark of Taste catalog of endangered foods.

In order to sign up for this conference, please fill out the registration form at the bottom of the following link: http://localhost/slowfood/sloweurope/pagine/eng/application/conferenza.lasso

Starting at 3pm on the same day, the Slow Food Brussels Convivium (local chapter) also organizes the convivial event Change for good, clean and fair food to celebrate and manifest the importance of local and sustainable food, to be held in front of the European Parliament (Place du Luxembourg). Everyone is invited to join and have a taste of what sustainable food is like, by trying the products that local producers present and serve: cheeses and spelt bread, Laeken watercress, fair-trade chocolate and Belgian wines. In addition, the young representatives of Disco Soup collaborate with the Slow Food Youth Network to cook and distribute soup, made with tasty vegetables that would otherwise have been wasted. The event Disco Soup adds to a series of similar events, which have recently taken place in countries around the globe, from Germany and France, to the USA, Korea and Mexico, to raise awareness of food waste. Change for good, clean and fair food is organized in collaboration with Slow Food, Rabad, PiqNiq and La Ferme de nos Pilifs.

The following day, November 29, on invitation of EU Agriculture Commissioner Dacian Cioloş, Petrini will speak alongside FAO Director-General José Graziano Da Silva at the conference Family Farming: A Dialogue Towards More Sustainable and Resilient Farming in Europe and the World. Organized by the European Commission, this conference will allow participants to look at the role of family farming, the key challenges and priorities for the future, and the best means of supporting family farms. Family farming is a key aspect for approaching a sustainable food system, which is why the UN has declared 2014 the International Year of Family Farming. The conference can be followed by webstreaming and its program is available on the EU Commission website (section on Agriculture and Rural Development):

http://ec.europa.eu/agriculture/events/family-farming-conference-2013_en.htm