Slow Food founder Carlo Petrini dies: from fight for sustainability to global success
The world of agro-gastronomy mourns Carlo Petrini, founder of Slow Food and Terra Madre, recognised worldwide for promoting sustainable cuisine and ecology, and closely linked to King Charles and Pope Francis.
By Euronews
Published on 22/05/2026 - 10:24 GMT+2
Carlo Petrini, the founder of Slow Food and Terra Madre, died on Thursday evening at the age of 76 at his home in Bra, in the province of Cuneo.
“From his extraordinary vision and his love for the common good, for relationships between human beings, for nature and biodiversity sprang Slow Food (1986), the international Terra Madre network and the University of Gastronomic Sciences in Pollenzo (2004). He was also co‑founder of the Laudato si’ Communities (2017), inspired by Pope Francis’s encyclical,” Slow Food recalled in a statement.
Founded in 1986, Slow Food is Italy’s leading association promoting an environmentally sustainable food culture and aims to uphold the right to pleasure and to “good, clean and fair food for all”, bringing together gastronomic culture and ethics while respecting biodiversity and consumers’ health.
Terra Madre, for its part, is an international network that brings together farmers, herders, fishers, cooks, academics and consumers to promote food sovereignty, biodiversity and a sustainable model of agriculture.
Who was Carlo Petrini: from international recognition to his friendship with Pope Francis and King Charles
Petrini, a gastronome, journalist and writer, was named a “European Hero” by Time magazine in 2004 and in 2008 the British daily The Guardian included him on its list of 50 people who could save the world.
His commitment to sustainability and the environment was recognised by the UN: the United Nations Environment Programme named him co‑winner of the “Champion of the Earth 2013” award in the Inspiration and Action category. In 2016 he was appointed Special Ambassador by the FAO for the Zero Hunger programme in Europe.
Over the course of his life he was close to several public figures, from Pope Francis to King Charles III of the United Kingdom. This April Petrini accompanied the British monarch during his visit to Ravenna to the Slow Food presidium, in the presence of President Sergio Mattarella.
“Those who sow utopia reap reality,” Carlo Petrini liked to say, summing up his life. He was convinced that dreams and visions, when they are beautiful, just, able to bring people together and pursued with conviction and passion, can come true. He knew how to dream and have fun, to build and inspire, working with people – young people in particular – towards tangible social redemption, and calling for fraternity, emotional intelligence and a disciplined anarchy. “His energy, his extraordinary empathy, his drive to act, his example in life will be the strength that guides us all,” the Slow Food statement concluded.
Messages of condolence following Petrini’s death
Many messages of condolence have been sent by public figures to remember Petrini.
“With deep emotion I have learned of the death of Carlo Petrini, a man of vision who succeeded in turning food into culture, identity, respect for the land and solidarity between peoples. Through Slow Food and Terra Madre he gave a voice to local communities, defended biodiversity and promoted around the world a more human, sustainable and fair model of development. Italy loses a great ambassador of its traditions, of dialogue between cultures and of that deep bond between people, place and quality of life which makes our country unique. To his family, his loved ones and the whole Slow Food community I extend my sincerest condolences,” wrote Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani in a post on X.
The Defence Minister Guido Crosetto recalled the friendship that bound him to Petrini, whom he met before his international success at the Boccon Divino osteria in Bra: “Over time we became friends and I helped him to build the University of Taste, the Wine Bank and everything that revolves around Pollenzo. Together we ‘visited’ dozens of restaurants and wineries and, in front of a dish or a glass, let our minds wander over every thought that came to us. In recent years I had lost sight of him, but we would still talk from time to time for a quick greeting and to complain about the passing of time and how we had become prisoners of life trajectories that no longer left room for the carefree attitude we once had. Tonight the memories of laughter, discussions and dreams came back to me vividly. All strictly in Piedmontese dialect, because that was always the ‘official language’ of our conversations. The world has lost a true dreamer. Have a good journey, Carlin.”
“Goodbye Carlo, gentle visionary who explained to the world how wrong it is to live only to consume life and the planet. Thank you for standing alongside the least of the Earth with passion. With your concrete ideas you pointed to a better path than the one development had taken: the common good, respect and love for the land are revolutionary and change things for the better. Carlo, thank you for those wonderful conversations, for the passion that swept everything along. You were right about everything, the others came later,” wrote Nicola Zingaretti, head of the PD delegation in the European Parliament, on social media.
