The Slow Food movement was born over thirty years ago with the intent of sensitizing the population, Italian and not, about the importance of giving the right emphasis to local companies and small realities in the field of agri-food production, going to oppose the intrusion of large food lobbies. Slow Food is represented by the famous spiral snail logo, also present on the label of all those products on the market produced by companies that have managed to seize the recognition of “Slow Food”. The movement, apart from being active through campaigns, fairs and promotional activities online and offline, is also a publishing house and a successful magazine.
The Slow Food movement, unfortunately still little known outside Italian borders, was born in the city of Bra in 1986 in order to promote a deeper knowledge of the inner characteristics of food and to counteract the processes of mass industrialization and standardization of flavors. Slow food wants to ensure that nourishment is first of all conceived as something that has to do with pleasure: no standard flavors and less dependence on the agribusiness lobby, but much emphasis the promotion of the local realities, the methods of ancient production and the most genuine flavors.
The name of the Slow Food movement
The name “Slow Food“, although not yet recognized in the same way as other denominations (such as PGI and PDO) is equally valid in guaranteeing the quality of the products that may boast it on their label. It is released only after a careful evaluation by the committee in place. The name Slow food, in not only issued on food labels, but also to Italian municipalities which have dedicated noteworthy efforts to the diffusion of a more genuine food culture and the protection of biodiversity.
Slow food municipalities, once granted the Slow Food Award, can keep it for three years. Award is only given to smaller municipalities with less than 50,000 inhabitants with the exclusion of provincial capitals.
The movement’s manifesto and the distribution of information
The Slow Food movement uses an extensive promotional network to spread its message. The manifesto of the movement has to do especially with biodiversity and with the pleasure linked to the typical Italian culinary tradition. It wants to promote the activities of small producers and local realities, so helping them in countering, in a peaceful way, the disproportional commercial power of the large food industries. To spread its message, the Slow Food movement has launched a real publishing house, which cares to publish books able to embrace the culinary universe at 360 ° (from cookbooks to books that review the premises present on the territory) and a periodical magazine dedicated to the Slow Food world.
Slow food companies in Italy
The slow food Italian companies are many: you can consult the complete list list of members on the official website. Among these, of course, there are some that stand out among the others because of their longevity of membership to the movement itself. Four, in particular, have been able to celebrate 30 years of Slow Food: : Acquarello, Leone, Martino and Sapori.
Acquarello produces Italian rice of the highest quality. Di Martino is a traditional pasta factory. Sapori and Leone are related to the confectionery world: Sapori mainly produces biscuits, macaroons and small table sweets, while Leone produces candies and chocolate.