Slow Food, the podcast

“Slow Food Goes Brussels” is back, and there’s a new voice behind the mic! Meet Natasha Foote, an agrifood journalist, ready to guide you through the hottest debates in the EU food world. In this month’s episode, we dive into: What’s been brewing over the summer The big challenges EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will face in her second term How the new shape of the European Parliament will affect future policies The buzz around the strategic dialogue on agriculture that everyone is talking about, what it is, and how that will help form the basis of policymaking going forward As Brussels gears up for the start of another 5-year political cycle, Slow Food Goes Brussels brings you up to speed for the fun to come over the next few months and years, with the help of: Alan Matthews, Professor Emeritus of European Agricultural Policy at Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland Marta Messa, Secretary General Slow Food Geneviève Savigny, Farmer and representative for European Coordination Via Campesina Host: Natasha Foote Production: Jonathan Rémy A project by Slow Food Youth Network (SFYN) Financed by the European Union. The contents of this podcast are the sole responsibility of the author and CINEA is not responsible for any use that may be made of the information contained therein.

Can a farm be Slow? And could it also be a tool for activism and political change? In this episode, we explore the amazing potential of Slow Food Farms—a new program that’s helping transition our food systems toward sustainability through agroecology. Join us as we chat with changemakers from Mexico, Uganda, and Sweden who are working to make the world of food good, clean, and fair for everyone. Whether you’re a farmer or just passionate about sustainable food, this episode is for YOU! Host & production: Valentina Gritti Guests: Edward Mukiibi (President of SF International), Santiago Aguilar Zilli (agroecological farmer in Mexico), Michaela Saax (chairwoman of Slow Food Stockholm) Music: Leonardo Prieto More about Slow Food Farms: https://www.slowfood.com/slow-food-farms/  Join our Telegram group: https://t.me/slowfoodthepodcast  A project by Slow Food Youth Network (SFYN)

Which books can inspire us to cook and to think? What are great reading suggestions for this summer? This episode is the second part of the episode we published last Wednesday with a lot of reading suggestions for your summer holidays. Also today we are going to listen to reading tips from activists and leaders in the Slow food movement and again, I am going to add time-stamps below so that if you want, you can directly jump to the suggestion you are interested in. So enjoy this episode and enjoy reading! Host & production: Valentina Gritti Guests: Marta Messa (Secretary General at Slow Food International), Benedetta Gori (Ethnobotanist), Bilal Sarwari (Interim director at Slow Food USA), Paola Nano (press and editorial manager at Slow Food International). Music: Leonardo Prieto Books and time-stamps: "Oryx and Crake” by Margaret Atwood (02:44) Kids book: “Lunch at 10 Pomegranate Street” by Felicita Sala (05:08) “Eating to Extinction” by Dan Saladino (10:29) “Braiding sweetgrass” by Robin Wall Kimmerer (13:46) “The Broken Earth Trilogy” by N. K. Jemisin (16:36) “Barons: Money, Power, and the Corruption of America's Food Industry” by Austin Frerick (25:31) Wanna share your reading suggestion for a Slow summer? Join our Telegram group: https://t.me/slowfoodthepodcast  A project by Slow Food Youth Network (SFYN)  

Which books can inspire us to cook and to think? What are great reading suggestions for this summer?  Today's episode is all about reading suggestions for your summer holidays which we got from activists and leaders in the Slow food movement. This episode is split in two, because we received a lot of super interesting suggestions and I personally didn’t want to cut out any of them. Enjoy this episode and enjoy reading! Host & production: Valentina Gritti; Guests: Elena Lucchiari (Slow Food Youth Network activist), Nicholas Panayi (Nico The Home Farmer) and Maria René Parada (sociologist and gastronome); Music: Leonardo Prieto Books and time-stamps: "Entangled Life” by Merlin Sheldrake (01:59)  “Field Guide to Urban Gardening” by Kevin Espiritu (10:20) “Grow Bag Gardening” by Kevin Espiritu (13:33) "Flavour Thesaurus 1 and 2" by Niki Segnit (17:42) “The Art & Science of Foodpairing” by Peter Coucquyt, Bernard Lahousse and Johan Langenbick (21:58) “The Life of the Bee” by Maurice Maeterlinck (23:38) “Agitadoras de buen gusto: historia del sindicato de culinarias” by Ana Cecilia Wadsworth and Ineke Dibbits (26:10) “Like water for chocolate” by Laura Esquivel (30:09) Wanna share your reading suggestion for a Slow summer? Join our Telegram group: https://t.me/slowfoodthepodcast A project by Slow Food Youth Network (SFYN)   

How can we re-establish and reinforce the relationship between humans and nature? What is the role of food in this? Can a better relationship with nature help us tackle the climate crises? Why shall we tell the stories of communities preserving nature? In today's episode we’ll look at why and how we should reconnect with nature. We’ll have a special eye on agroecology and biodiversity preservation and we’ll get to know some examples from communities who live in harmony with their natural surroundings.  Host & Production: Valentina Gritti Guests: Francesco Sottile (Slow Food International board of directors), Dan Saladino (journalist, broadcaster and author of the book "Eating to extinction") and Claudia Ranja (spokesperson of SF Târgu Mureş – Marosvásárhely Community) Music: Leonardo Prieto Useful links: Terra Madre event: https://2024.terramadresalonedelgusto.com/en/  Slow Food Brief on Agroecology: https://www.slowfood.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/240627_EN_Agroecology-A-Slow-Food-Brief-2.pdf  Previous podcast on agroecology: https://open.spotify.com/episode/4DXi2ZJmHKV7fuf3x4Piu7  Join our Telegram group: https://t.me/+xSzaZeIyCUM1NjJk  A project by Slow Food Youth Network

Which pedagogical tools can help reconnect children to nature? How can schools, teachers and parents take action to change the current educational systems? What are the effects of food education on our kids? In today's episode we’ll look at different educational instruments, which can help children reconnect with food and nature, in particular in schools. Host & production: Valentina Gritti Guests: Barbara Nappini (SF Italy president), Ai Onodera (co-Director of SOKKA, Ocean & Forest School) and Bruno Smadja (Mobile Film Festival director). Music: Leonardo Prieto Useful links: - Petition to ask for compulsory food education in schools (Italy): https://www.slowfood.it/comunicati-stampa/appello-col-cibo-si-educa-col-cibo-si-cambia/  - Mobile Film Festival: https://www.youtube.com/mobilefilmfestival  - Interested in the Food on Film project? Write to education@slowfood.it  - More on Sokka forest and Ocean school: https://vimeo.com/315557265  A project by Slow Food Youth Network (SFYN)

What is going on with the Common Agricultural Policy in Europe? What is the simplification package and what were the hidden reasons behind it? Can we afford to put environmental protection measures aside in this moment of history? This episode is part of the series Slow Food Goes Brussels, where we dissect the political debates linked to the greatest challenges food and agriculture are facing. In the previous episode of this series we explained why farmers were protesting in the beginning of the year. In today’s episode we look into what is the response of the EU Institutions to the latest farmers protests. This response is namely what the Commission is calling a "simplification" of the CAP, but what is in fact a reform: they are deciding to rollback on green conditions. Host & Production: Valentina Gritti Guests: Giulia Gouet (policy officer at Slow Food International), Gerardo Fortuna (senior reporter at Euronews) and Paul Behrens (Associate Professor of Environmental Change). Links: Endorsing the Slow Food Manifesto: https://feedthechange.slowfood.com/ Webinar: "Feed the Change: Why the EU Elections Matter for the Future of Food" | May 28th @1pm CET | Register to the webinar --> https://www.slowfood.com/events/feed-the-change-the-webinar/   A project by Slow Food Youth Network (SFYN) Financed by the European Union. The contents of this podcast are the sole responsibility of the author and CINEA is not responsible for any use that may be made of the information contained therein.

How can we transition our local food system? Can grassroots projects influence policy on a higher level? What are key elements for a successful community initiative? In today's episode I am going to tell you some stories of change. Stories of impactful grassroots initiatives that are boosting food system transition in different aspects.   A couple of weeks ago I was in Italy, in Cella Monte, for the project Shared Green Deal. A European project which aims to study from a social perspective the implementation of the Green Deal on a local level in different European countries. I have interviewed the project coordinators of the different grassroots initiatives, with the goal of learning more about their projects but also to see how European policies are impacting their local realities and how their projects can influence policy.  Host and production: Valentina Gritti Guests: Costanza Guazzo and Luca Carisio (Asfodelo association, Italy), Janneke Bruil and Eduardo Cáceres (Stroomgebied Zuid-Veluwe, The Netherlands), Pelle Bengtsberg (Reformaten, Sweden), Zuzana Kupcová (Klíma ta potrebuje, Slovakia).  More about Shared Green Deal: https://sharedgreendeal.eu/  This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under grant agreement No 101036640. The sole responsibility for this content lies with the SHARED GREEN DEAL project and does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the European Union.

In the past months, farmers have been protesting all over Europe. They're marching and driving tractors through city streets. But sadly, what's happening follows a pattern we see often. A serious protest, born out of real struggles, is being made to seem less important. It's being turned into a fight between farmers and environmentalists, or farmers and the European Union. And some people are using it for their own gain, like trying to win votes or protect their own interests.  Today, we'll talk about why farmers are protesting and with a focus on common grounds and on solving the root problems in our food system. Host & production: Valentina Gritti Guests: Natasha Foote (Freelance agri-food journalist), Jereon Candel (Professor of food and agricultural policy at Wageningen University), Sebastian Mira (Farmer from Slow Food Pays Catalan). Farmers' protest audio's source: the Telegraph video A project by Slow Food Youth Network (SFYN) Financed by the European Union. The contents of this podcast are the sole responsibility of the author and CINEA is not responsible for any use that may be made of the information contained therein.

How can cooks be of influence? What are practical tips for students to get their friends to take action? How can we generate change from a rural community? And finally, how can YOU get involved with your local food policy? In today's episode we will learn how take action towards a sustainable food future in many ways. We’ll listen to different perspectives and get super practical tips. This podcast is part of a small series dedicated to the Planting the Future challenge, in which we take a deep dive into our food system and its challenges, get inspired to cook up plant-rich meals, learn about agroecology as a solution and get into action! Host & Production: Valentina Gritti Guests: Joris Bijdendijk (Chef at RIJKS® and Wils, Amsterdam), Deeya Bhasin (law student and the Chinese University of Hong Kong), Luisa Véléz (Project manager and Slow Food activist in Ecuador) and Yael Pantzer (SF International). Post-production & music: Leonardo Prieto Dorantes Join our Telegram group: https://t.me/+xSzaZeIyCUM1NjJk  --> Take action and join Slow Food Youth Network !

In today's episode we will learn what agroecology is, how it applies to agriculture, to fishing and regenerative animal farming and we will also get some practical tips on how we can find agroecological products and be part of the change... This podcast is part of a small series dedicated to the Planting the Future challenge (https://plantingthefuture.slowfood.com/)  Host and production: Valentina Gritti Guests: Moreen Ankunda (Slow Food Uganda), Matheus Sborgia (Regenerative Cattle Farmer at Terras Caipora), Didier Gascuel (Researcher and Professor of Marine Ecology at Institut Agro), Richard McCarthy (President of the World Farmers Markets Coalition). Post-production and music: Leonardo Prieto    Dive deeper into the topic of animal farming with this episode: https://open.spotify.com/episode/1V3RasNm2aky7QCtw8HXYk  Join our Telegram group: https://t.me/+xSzaZeIyCUM1NjJk  A project by Slow Food Youth Network

What’s the difference between beans and pulses? Is it bad to eat canned beans? How is Polish independence linked to the beans from the town of Lamim in Brazil?  This episode is part of a small series dedicated to the Planting the Future Challenge, in which we take a deep dive into our food system and its challenges, get inspired to cook up plant-rich meals, learn about agroecology as a solution and get into action! For more information on the challenge and to sign up, visit www.plantingthefuture.slowfood.com Guests: Nicolas Carton (Researcher & Global Bean Project Coordinator), Lucas Monteiro Mourão (Slow Food Brazil Activist) and Amaliah (Educator and Slow Food Activist in Indonesia). Host & Production: Valentina Gritti Post-Production & Music: Leonardo Prieto Dorantes Useful links: - The Global Bean Project: www.globalbean.eu - Information sheet about cooking dry pulses: https://www.globalbean.eu/publications/cooking-pulses-dry-seeds/  - Read more about the Polish Eagle bean: https://www.slowfood.com/blog-and-news/polish-eagle-beans-a-pulse-beating-like-a-warm-heart-across-continents/  - Tempeh in the Ark of Taste: https://www.fondazioneslowfood.com/en/ark-of-taste-slow-food/benguk-tempeh-besengek-2/  Finally, join our Telegram group for feedback, questions and advice: https://t.me/+xSzaZeIyCUM1NjJk 

Is there such a thing as an ideal diet? Is there a place for animal proteins in a climate friendly diet? How can we effectively change the way we eat and make sure this becomes a new habit that persists in time?  This podcast is part of a small series dedicated to the Planting the Future Challenge, in which we take a deep dive into our food system and its challenges, get inspired to cook up plant-rich meals, learn about agroecology as a solution and get into action! For more information on the challenge and to sign up, visit www.plantingthefuture.slowfood.com Guests: Francesco Scaglia (Culinary lead at EAT foundation), Dana Smith (campaign director at Meatless Monday), Becky Ramsing (Senior Program Officer at John Hopkins Center for a Livable Future), Liesbeth Velema (Behaviour change expert at Voedingscentrum). Host and production: Valentina Gritti Post-production & music: Leonardo Prieto For feedback and questions join the podcast Telegram group: https://t.me/slowfoodthepodcast  A project by the Slow Food Youth Network (SFYN)

Last podcast of the year: a great way to catch up with European advocacy highlights of 2023 and what to expect in 2024! Between 6–9 June 2024, millions of Europeans will participate in shaping the future of European democracy on the occasion of the European elections. It is a unique moment when people of 28 European countries collectively decide on the future of the European Union. Why does it matter from the food movement point of view?  Host: Valentina Gritti Guests: Madeleine Coste, Slow Food Advocacy Director               Jannie Vestergaard, Slow Food international councillor for the Nordic Countries   If you want to know more about the Good Food Good Farming campaign, you can read this article. Find out more about Slow Food in the Nordic Countries and their initiatives on the website https://slowfoodnordic.com/     You can follow @SlowFoodEurope on twitter to be updated on European Advocacy... and join our Telegram group to be part of the Podcast community! https://t.me/+xSzaZeIyCUM1NjJk   Financed by the European Union. The contents of this podcast are the sole responsibility of the author and CINEA is not responsible for any use that may be made of the information contained therein.

COP 28 has just begun. The attention of all those who care about the climate crisis and work to influence governments and institutions to adopt effective mitigation and adaptation measures have their eyes on Dubai. It is the first COP held since the full release of the latest update in March 2023 of the 6th Assessment Report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (the IPCC). This report summarises and synthesises the most up-to-date climate science and provides the best scientific basis to set climate policy. Today I am delighted to host two very special guests to discuss some updates from COP 28 with a special eye on how food systems are driving the climate crises and what solutions are on the table.  Host: Valentina Gritti Guests: Raj Patel is a British Indian academic, journalist, activist and writer. Slow Food President Edward Mukiibi is also with us to dialogue with him. Post-production: Jonathan Remy  Music: Leonardo Prieto Dorantes Link to IPES report "From Plate to Planet": https://www.ipes-food.org/pages/platetoplanet  Follow @SlowFoodEurope on twitter! And join our Telegram group: https://t.me/+xSzaZeIyCUM1NjJk   Financed by the European Union. The contents of this podcast are the sole responsibility of the author and CINEA is not responsible for any use that may be made of the information contained therein.  

Why is it important to be activists? Why shall we raise our voices before COP28? How can we live in a more climate friendly way? Does it make sense to talk about the climate crises now, while so many horrors are happening around the world?  In this episode I will have a conversation with Elena Lucchiari, the Flash COP campaign manager at Slow Food Youth Network. Elena is a young Italian activist with a background in international development studies. The second guest of today is Shane Holland, Executive Chairman of Slow Food in the UK. Shane is a food writer, a university lecturer, he has a broad knowledge on the COP and he was also actively involved in COP26 in Glasgow. Please stick until the end because in the last part of the podcast we collected a few inputs from our podcast community with practical tips on how to live in a more climate friendly way…  Host & production: Valentina Gritti Guests: Elena Lucchiari, Slow Food Youth Network;               Shane Holland, Slow Food in the UK With contributions from: Giorgio Brizio, Maria Geuze and Samanta Fabbris Music: Leonardo Prieto Dorantes Learn more about the Flash COP campaign with the campaign toolkits: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1_1wcg0lXHr1SD7mi9Ajx_UYlEnEX3eQR?usp=drive_link  Email Elena for more information at Elena@sfyn.org A project by the Slow Food Youth Network (SFYN)  

We are going to focus our conversation on Greenwashing: what is it exactly? Who is behind it? How does it work and what can we do to face it?   I am delighted to carry out today's discussion with two experts on the topic of Greenwashing. Hazel Healy is DeSmog's UK Editor. She is also a freelance writer and broadcaster specializing in stories about food justice, climate and migration. Hazel recently published together with Rachel Sherrington the article “A Guide to Six Greenwashing Terms Big Ag Is Bringing to COP28” on DeSmog, independent, investigative website.  The second guest of today is Kavya Chowdhry. Kavya is from India and works as a researcher with ETC, the Action Group on Erosion, Technology and Concentration. ETC Group is a small, international, research and action collective committed to social and environmental justice, human rights and the defense of just and ecological agri-food systems and the web of life. Kavya is co-author of the report "Food Barons 2022. Crisis Profiteering, Digitalization and Shifting Power" together with Hope Shand and Kathy Jo Wetter. Host: Valentina Gritti Guests: Hazel Healy from De Smog and Kavya Chowdhry, ETC. Post-production: Jonathan Remy Music: Leonardo Prieto Dorantes Follow @SlowFoodEurope on twitter! And join our Telegram group: https://t.me/+xSzaZeIyCUM1NjJk   Financed by the European Union. The contents of this podcast are the sole responsibility of the author and CINEA is not responsible for any use that may be made of the information contained therein. A project by Slow Food Youth Network (SFYN)

What are indigenous peoples' traditional foods? And why are they so important? What does it mean that they are still being colonized and is it possible to decolonize these foods? what can we do in our daily lives to support indigenous peoples and if we belong to an indigenous people how can we support our community? Today I will have a conversation with Luis Francisco Prieto, Indigenous Peoples and Afrodescendant Focal Point at Slow Food International, with a special focus on the topic of food decolonisation. Host and Production: Valentina Gritti Guest: Luis Francisco Prieto Audio Technical Support & Music: Leonardo Prieto Dorantes Useful links: - Read more about the "Decolonize your food" campaign here: https://www.slowfood.com/our-network/indigenous/decolonize-your-food/  - Find out more about the Slow Food Indigenous Peoples Network here: https://www.slowfood.com/our-network/indigenous/about-us/  - Listen to voices of indigenous youth in our past podcast episodes, in the series "Voices from the roots": https://open.spotify.com/episode/2SH0X4tkVOlFqv1JUY8LCz  - Join SF the Podcast Telegram group: https://t.me/+xSzaZeIyCUM1NjJk  A project by Slow Food Youth Network (SFYN)

What is a fair coffee? How do we know if our coffee tastes good? What is the best way to preserve coffee and to prepare it? But first of all, which tips can we follow to buy our coffee? Today I will have a conversation with Silvia Rota, one of the coordinators of the Slow Food Coffee Coalition and this episode is dedicated to all of us who not only want to make more conscious choices, but also want to participate in building a sustainable and ethical coffee industry by taking small steps towards a better coffee world.  Host & production: Valentina Gritti Guests: Silvia Rota (SF Coffee Coalition)               Elvia Villani Catalán (SF México, coffee farmer)  Community contribution: Amanuel Samuel, Ethiopia Music: Leonardo Prieto Dorantes Be part of the SF Coffee Coalition and get the guide" Brewing a Better World.The Responsible Coffee-Lover’s Toolkit": https://coffeecoalition.slowfood.com/  A project by the Slow Food Youth Network

So many of the foods we eat everyday are sprayed again and again with pesticides before landing on our table. And we all learned over the years, one scandal after another, that this is no good news, either for our health or the environment. But what most people don’t know is the tight connection between pesticides and GMOs. As the European Union is about to take some critical decisions on both pesticides and GMOs, we unveil the troubling truth about that very toxic couple, which are tied by many links, with our three guests: Mute Schimpf, policy officer at Friends of the Earth Europe Bosse Dalhgren, Slow Food farmer in Scotland Karina Ocampo, Slow Food activist in Argentina News samples used in the episode were taken from: “Bayer loses third appeals case over glyphosate weedkiller”, Reuters, August 10, 2021 “What you're eating: Consumer Reports investigates GMOs in food”, CBS News, October 7, 2014 “Monsanto ordered to pay $289M to man who claimed weedkiller contributed to cancer”, CBS News, 2018 “In Chile, amateur beekeeper rescues hives from coastal tourist city”, Reuters, December 7, 2022 “Kenya's GMO maize push sowing trouble for food sector, farmers warn”, Reuters, December 17, 2022 Host: Alice Poiron Co-host: Valentina Gritti Post-production: Jonathan Remy Music: Leonardo Prieto Dorantes Follow @SlowFoodEurope on twitter! And join our Telegram group: https://t.me/+xSzaZeIyCUM1NjJk   Financed by the European Union. The contents of this podcast are the sole responsibility of the author and CINEA is not responsible for any use that may be made of the information contained therein. A project by Slow Food Youth Network