What is Slow Food?

Slow Food is an international non–profit association founded in Italy in 1986 as a response to the standardizing effects of fast food & the frenetic pace of the ‘fast life’. It now involves over 80,000 people in 104 countries around the world.
Through the understanding of gastronomy with relation to politics, agriculture & the environment Slow food has become an active player in agriculture & ecology. Slow Food links pleasure & food with awareness & responsibility. The association’s activities seek to defend biodiversity in our food supply, spread the education of taste, & support producers of excellent food.
Slow Food is the intersection of ethics & pleasure, of ecology & gastronomy. A stand against the homogenization of taste, the unrestrained power of the multinationals, industrial agriculture & the folly of fast life. Slow Food returns culture dignity to food & the slow rhythms of conviviality to the table. & seeks to protect our invaluable food heritage.

In the Adelaide Hills we are working on:
· Holding on to traditions. Preserving Cultural Heritage. We have a rich & varied treasure of traditions to dip into. However many of the custodians of the treasures are now elderly & the speed of life means food traditions are being lost to convenience foods as well as cooking skills. The connection between how where & when food is grown & the end product on the plate is lost. We need to record and learn what’s necessary, so these traditions can continue.
· . Local produce Although much of our hills farmland has already been lost and diversity diminished, there are still a wide range of producers ranging from large down to small, both part & full time. All these need recognition & support. At present a handful of Hills food producers are promoted to the point of boredom so we are aiming to build a relationship between all local primary producers by conducting an area survey. .Knowing who’s out there is the first step to enable us to support our local producers & connect them to consumers. We will conduct ‘Meet the Grower’ walk, talk & taste & Develop Seasonal Food Trails.
· .Hills Seasons Australian culture shows little regard for the seasons, there are no seasonal celebrations. Few people know what’s in season at any one time. Through seasonal events .we aim to develop a sense of seasonality
· From Garden to Plate There is something special about Growing, preparing and enjoying your own food. We aim to enable people to share experiences, growing tips share seeds. Here we also have the resources of Duck Flat Community Garden at Mt Barker to get down to the nitty gritty.


For more information sees slowfood.com or Deborah Cantrill 8339 2519

Frequently Asked Questions
Why is it called Slow Food?
A nod to the contrast with fast food values, Slow Food is a reference to living an unhurried life, beginning at the table.
Why is the snail our symbol?
The snail was chosen because it moves slowly and calmly eats its way through life.
Why was Slow Food born in Bra, Italy?
Bra, home of founder Carlo Petrini. Is located in an area famous for its wines, white truffles! Cheese and beef. Food has traditionally been an integral part of socializing on the Italian peninsula. This town provided the perfect incubator for the Slow Food movement.

Does Slow Food mean organic?
Slow Food is in favour of the principles behind organic agriculture, like promoting agriculture that has a low impact cc the environment and reducing pesticide use around the world. Yet Slow Food maintains that organic agriculture, when practiced on a massive and extensive scale! Is very similar to conventional monoculture cropping and therefore organic certification alone should not he considered a sure sign that a product is grown in a sustainable way. Although most of the Presidia practice organic techniques! Very few are certified due to the high casts of organic certification. To become Presidia, products must be consistent with the concepts of agricultural sustainability, and beyond that, Slow Food works to guarantee that they are traditional, natural, safe, and - above all - of high taste quality. It is a goal of the Foundation far Biodiversity in the next few years to promote (and finance, where possible) the certification of Presidia products for which this certification could broaden markets or increase earnings.
What is Slow Food’s position on genetically engineered crops?
While not opposed to research by universities and public bodies, Slow Food is against the commercial planting of genetically engineered craps. We are capable of transplanting a gene from one species to another but we are not yet capable of predicting or containing the results, creating a threat to our natural and agricultural biodiversity. Another problem with GE crop cultivation is its tendency to take the choice at what crops to grow out of farmers’ hands. When pollen from GE fields drift miles dawn the road and pollinate conventional or organic fields, farmers unwittingly put labour and capital into harvesting crops they did not plant. Slow Food believes that all products containing genetically engineered ingredients should require accurate labelling, allowing consumers to make an educated choice a they support and ingest.