The Slow Food Goes Brussels Podcast

Tune in ! The “Slow Food Goes Brussels” podcast series is dedicated to European food and agriculture policies. In each episode, we gather experts to explain and discuss the agri-food hot topics in Brussels, to bring our listeners closer to the arena of EU negotiations.

For daily updates on EU agri-food policies, explore Slow Food Europe’s section and follow us on Twitter, and don’t hesitate to subscribe to the SFYN podcast, which hosts this series, on Apple and Spotify.

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The Global Food Crisis Explained

July 2022


Since the war in Ukraine broke out, the words “food security” and “food crisis” are on everyone’s lips. The conflict has had rippling effects on millions of people’s lives, with President Putin holding the specter of hunger over their head. Ukraine and Russia being such big producers and exporters of grain, elsewhere concerns are indeed mounting over potential food shortages. Meanwhile, the conflict has sent global food prices skyrocketing, which are hitting the poorest populations the hardest.

To cope with this crisis, some in Europe have suggested to lower environmental standards in agriculture in favour of increasing food production. Others like Slow Food, warn that this is a mistake, because environmental protection is key to ensure sustainable food security in the long run.

We hear many things about this food crisis, and this is a complex topic to grasp. How does it impact Europe and the world? How can we feed the world without the Ukrainian crops? Do we really need to produce more food while other farming alternatives are just waiting to be scaled up? We take a step back and untangle these complex issues with our guests:

  • Nick Jacobs, director of IPES Food (the International Panel of Experts on Sustainable Food Systems)
  • Nathalie Bolduc, researcher at IDDRI (Institute for Sustainable Development and International Relations)
  • David Peacock, Slow Food farmer in Germany

Also available on Apple Podcast.

The Paradoxes of Animal Welfare in Europe

June 2022

The protection of animal welfare on farms has gained momentum in recent years in Europe, with more and more EU citizens calling for the end of their cruel exploitation. And this is with good reason, for farm animals are considered as mere profit machines.

Yet, it is said that the European Union has the most advanced legislation in the world regarding animal welfare standards. So why such a gap between the European law and farming practices on the ground? How bad is the state of animal welfare in Europe, and what is being done at the EU level to right such wrongs? Also, what alternatives are there to industrial animal farming? In this episode, we tell you the story of the many paradoxes of animal welfare in Europe with our guests:

  • Jacopo Goracci, farmer of local ancient breeds of cows and pigs in rural Tuscany (Italy) and coordinator of a Slow Food presidium
  • Andrea Gavinelli, who is in charge of the animal welfare unit at the EU Commission
  • Olga Kikou, European Affairs Manager at the organization Compassion in World Farming

Also available on Apple Podcast.

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A Conversation with Young Food Activists

December 2021


Mid-December, members of the Slow Food Youth Network (SFYN) in Europe and students at the Slow Food’s University of Gastronomic Science (UNISG) gathered in Bra, in northern Italy. It was a great opportunity for us to sit down with a few of them and discuss about their views on political activism, their desire to see a sustainable food system happening in Europe and beyond, and their relationship to the European Union.

  • Jorrit, president of SFYN
  • Mallory, American student at the Slow Food’s University of Gastronomic Science (UNISG)
  • Paolo, member of SFYN in Sardegna
  • Lianne, president of SFYN Netherlands

Also available on Apple Podcast.

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COP26: What’s on the Menu for Food and Farming?

November 2021

Let’s talk about climate! Now that the COP26 is behind us and that dust has settled, let’s take a step back! Was the COP26 a success? What was decided about food and farming? Where does the EU stand in all this, and what is the EU’s way forward on climate change ? We answer all these questions with our three guests:

Also available on Apple Podcast.

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EU Farm to Fork Strategy: Science, Civil Society and the Planet over Corporate Interests.

October 2021

In this episode, our guests talk about the EU Farm to Fork Strategy and what has happened since its publication in May 2020. They shed light on the intense lobbying that the agro-chemical industry has been doing to try to weaken the Strategy, and how you, as European citizens, can influence food policy; one example being the recently-successful European Citizens Initiative “Save bees and farmers”. This episode’s speakers:

Also available on Apple Podcast.

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What’s Going on with New GMOs? 

May 2021

What are new GMOs? How do they differ from old GMOs? What are the EU latest developments on the matter? We asked three experts to answer these questions and many more:

  • Elisa D’Aloisio, peasant farmer at the European Coordination Via Campesina with a PhD in genetics and practical expertise in GMOs
  • Martin Sommer, policy coordinator at IFOAM Organics Europe, the association for organic food and farming in Europe
  • Madeleine Coste, Policy Officer at Slow Food Europe
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