Carlo Petrini, Slow Food founder, dies at 76

Carlo Petrini, the journalist who founded the Slow Food movement in protest against the arrival of the first McDonald’s in Italy, died aged 76 at his home in Bra, northern Italy, after a battle with prostate cancer.

Petrini, who had been diagnosed with prostate cancer in recent years, led Slow Food as president until 2022. The organization, established in 1986, campaigned against fast-food culture by promoting sustainability and local cuisine.

“Carlo Petrini was a visionary leader and public intellectual with a profound commitment to the common good, human relationships and the natural world,” the Slow Food press office said in a statement. He also founded the University of Gastronomic Sciences in Pollenzo, near Bra.

The statement added that through his initiatives, Petrini had “brought to life a global movement rooted in the values of good, clean and fair food for all, connecting communities, farmers, food artisans, cooks, activists, and young people across the world.”

Italy’s President Sergio Mattarella led tributes on Friday, saying, “The death of Carlo Petrini leaves a great void, not only in the world of food and wine science, but also in society as a whole, not just in Italy.” Mattarella added that Petrini’s “insights and constant advocacy for sustainability, the need to preserve traditions, the enhancement of local cultures and respect for the environment have generated a new awareness of food culture and its production.”

Italian Agriculture Minister Francesco Lollobrigida said, “Not every person leaves a trace of their passage, but Carlo Petrini did.” Deputy Prime Minister Antonio Tajani said Italy had lost “a great ambassador” of its traditions.

Petrini established Slow Food in 1986 after widespread protests against the opening of Italy’s first McDonald’s near the Spanish Steps in central Rome. He and fellow activists handed out plates of pasta to passersby while shouting: “We don’t want fast food. We want slow food.”

The restaurant opened despite the protests, and McDonald’s now operates approximately 800 outlets in Italy.

Slow Food, which Petrini began with a group of friends, grew into a global movement active in more than 160 countries.

The movement had significant influence in Britain, and Petrini was a friend of King Charles, a longtime champion of organic farming. In February last year, Queen Camilla and King Charles hosted an evening celebrating Italian slow food at Highgrove, with actor and food enthusiast Stanley Tucci among the guests. The couple also sampled produce from farmers associated with the movement during their state visit to Italy last year.

In 2004, Time magazine named Petrini a “European hero.” In January 2008, he was the only Italian included in The Guardian’s list of 50 people who could save the world.