Carlo Petrini, Slow Food Founder, Dies Aged 76

Carlo Petrini, the founder of the Slow Food movement, has died at the age of 76. According to multiple reports, Petrini passed away in his hometown of Bra, in Italy's Piedmont region. He had been diagnosed with prostate cancer in recent years.

The Slow Food movement, which Petrini founded in 1986 as a protest against fast-food culture and the opening of Italy’s first McDonald’s near Rome’s Spanish Steps, has since grown into a global network active in more than 160 countries. The movement emphasizes quality, environmental sustainability, and equitable conditions for producers.

Petrini served as president of Slow Food until 2022. A statement from the Slow Food press office described him as “a visionary leader and public intellectual with a profound commitment to the common good, human relationships, and the natural world.”

Tributes poured in from various figures, including Italy’s President Sergio Mattarella, who said Petrini's death leaves a great void not only in the world of food and wine science but also in society as a whole. Francesco Lollobrigida, the Italian agriculture minister, noted that “not every person leaves a trace of their passage, but Carlo Petrini did.”

Petrini was also known for his friendships with prominent figures such as King Charles III and Pope Francis. He established the University of Gastronomic Sciences in Pollenzo and created initiatives like the Ark of Taste, an international catalogue of endangered foods, and Terra Madre, a global forum of food communities.