SLOW Food’s international executive director, Paolo Di Croce, has been interviewed by ABC Perth 720 statewide gardening programme presenters James Lush and Sabrina Hahn about food labelling, food miles and reconnecting eaters with farmers. The broadcast on 21 May 2011 coincided with Paolo’s visit to Perth as part of a series of meetings with Slow Food branches in Australia. Listen to the ABC interview. (The interview with Paolo begins 21 minutes into the download.)
SLOW Food members will have the opportunity to exchange ideas about the future of the organisation with Slow Food international executive director Paolo Di Croce and Asia-Oceania programme director Elena Aniere when they visit Western Australia towards the end of May 2011.
All members are being given advance notice of a meeting with Paolo and Elena in Perth on Saturday 21 May. This will be followed by a meeting for southern region convivia members – from Denmark, Margaret River and Southern Forests – in Pemberton on Sunday 22 May.
Paolo (above), a graduate of the University of Turin, began working for Slow Food in 1998, co-ordinating its biodiversity defence programmes known as the Ark of Taste and Presidia. He has also led planning for Terra Madre, Slow Food’s biennial world meeting of food communities, which last was held in 2010.
The Perth meeting presents an important opportunity to discuss the major challenges confronting food. Elena Aniere says that the meeting will enable local members to learn more about Slow Food principles and projects. Paolo and Elena also want to hear about convivia activities and the ways in which communications and food networks might be developed.
A detailed programme will be released by 1 May. For more information please email Slow Food Perth.
STEPHANIE McFaull, youth delegate to Terra Madre in 2010 started the Youth Food Movement in Western Australia. Locally it is about fun food events in WA where they want to support smaller, local producers of food through the principles of Slow Food philosophy of good, clean and fair food. Here is the link to the local group
The Youth Food Movement originated at the Slow Food Congress in Mexico in 2007 when a group of students were sponsored by Slow Food USA and Slow Food International to attend the Congress to highlight the work that the youth were accomplishing in their country. The Movement has spread to many countries in the world, including the United Kingdom, Holland and now Australia.
BARRY Esterbrook formerly a contributing editor at Gourmet magazine, now serves on the advisory board of Gastronomica, The Journal of Food and Culture. His blog is full of interesting published articles about food culture. The latest entry describes the students at University of California Berkeley, who have organised a student food collective which replaces the junk food franchises on College Campuses. Prices are kept affordable with the help of volunteers. A year ago one of the organisers Yoni Landau realised that the experience had taught them a great deal about opening a successful co-op, ‘it is about students having control over institutions that serve them food, so they started an organisation that would train students nationwide. The launch committee also includes Michael Pollan and Slow Food USA President Josh Viertel. Read full article and link to Esterbrook’s blog
STEPHANIE McFaull, Terra Madre 2010 youth delegate launched the Western Australia branch of the International Youth Food Movement at Maggies Place in the Swan Valley on Saturday 4th December. Included in the warm up activities was food prepared by all at Maggies Place, a tour and tasting of the products at the Caprino Goat Farm and concluded by a lunch and wine tasting at Edgecombe Brothers. Many thanks go to Maggie Edmonds for her valuable support. Thank you also to John and Miriam Martin of Caprino Goat Farm, Mirtula Hildebrand of Farmland Greens for presenting her products and her interesting talk about the nutritious sprouts they grow and Debbie and John Marten of Fruity Fanatics who donated their fruit juices. Watch this space for the other activities planned for next year. For more information about this movement visit the International web site and the Australian facebook site.
SLOW Food on campus in the United States is run by student members of the Slow Food Movement. These people represent a passionate cross section of youth addressing food systems and food justice issues, including environmental and social causes. In February the students partnered with Students for Fair Trade to arrange a collaborative approach to organising events. View their fact sheet on Terra Madre and their action ideas
