Garden-to-Table Projects
Slow Food in Schools’ Garden-to-Table projects rest on the three building blocks of pleasure, tradition, and sustainability. Ranging from after-school cooking classes to farm tours to schoolyard gardens, our Garden to Table projects are diverse yet all involve the fundamental principles of Slow Food. All projects are hands-on and create a direct connection between children and their food source, emphasizing the pleasures of taste and the table.

Slow Food on Campus
Slow Food on Campus is a network of Campus Convivia, chapters of Slow Food USA run by college and university students across the country. These Campus Convivia are the working arm of Slow Food USA in the college community. Campus Convivia represent a passionate cross-section of youth addressing food system and food justice issues, spanning environmental and social causes. By engaging their fellow students in the pleasures of the table and the garden, Campus Convivia aim to promote good, clean and fair food on our nation's college campuses.

Slow Food Nation – a Celebration of American Food
Slow Food Nation—an unprecedented four day long exposition and celebration of food in San Francisco —will mark the coming of age in food in America. Its mission is to change the way America eats by raising Americans’ consciousness of how food is produced and distributed, through debates, lectures, tastings, demonstrations, etc. Slow Food Nation will galvanize the Slow Food movement in the US – it will be a force for change and engage a new, broad inclusive demographic centered around food communities. As a homegrown alternative to America’s fast food culture, Slow Food Nation will highlight the positive, life-enhancing benefits of food that is good, clean and fair.

Slow Food EAT– Transitioning of Conventional Restaurants into the Slow Food Way of Life
***Coming soon to the Slow Food Orlando Convivium
                                                                                

FAQs
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.

What is the Slow Food Award?
The Slow Food Award for the Defense of Biodiversity identified and acknowledged research, teaching, production and promotion that benefit biodiversity in the context of food. Nominees were selected by an international jury of more than 500 journalists and experts in agriculture, food and communications. The award was presented annually from 2000 to 2003.
Terra Madre, Slow Food’s world meeting of food communities, arose from the network of extraordinary producers and activists created by the award.

What are Slow Cities/Città Slow?
Slow Food has encouraged the growth of the Slow Cities (called Città Slow in Italian) movement, an autonomous group of towns and cities committed to improving the quality of life of their citizens, especially in regards to food. Slow Cities adhere to a series of guidelines to make them more pleasant places to live, such as closing the center of town to traffic one day a week and adopting infrastructure policies that maintain the characteristics of the town. Slow Cities seek to safeguard traditional foods, creating spaces and occasions for direct contact between consumers and quality producers. Slow Cities have sprung up everywhere from Norway to Brazil, with several dozen in Italy alone. For more information on Slow Cities, visit www.cittaslow.net.

Does Slow Food mean organic?
Slow Food is in favor of the principles behind organic agriculture, like promoting agriculture that has a low impact on 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 be considered a sure sign that a product is grown sustainably. Although most of the presidia practice organic techniques, very few are certified due to the high costs 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 good, clean and fair. It is a goal of the Foundation for 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 modified organisms?
While not opposed to research by universities and public bodies, Slow Food is against the commercial planting of genetically engineered crops. 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 of what crops to grow out of farmers’ hands. When pollen from GE fields drifts miles down the road and pollinate conventional or organic fields, farmers unwittingly put labor and capital into harvesting crops they did not plant. Slow Food believes that all products containing genetically engineered ingredients should require accurate labeling, allowing consumers to make an educated choice about what they support and ingest.

How is Slow Food financed?
The international association gets the majority of its funding from membership fees. Contributions from Salone del Gusto and other international events provide funds, and merchandise and book sales also contribute to Slow Food’s financing.
The seven Slow Food national associations receive a portion of membership fees and get additional funds from other sources, including contributors and institutions. Slow Food Italy is the oldest national association with the most developed fundraising, including the for-profit publishing house Slow Food Editore. Another Slow Food Italy for-profit branch is Slow Food Promozione, which organizes Slow Food’s big events, sells advertising space in its publications and finds contributors that fit in with the Slow Food philosophy. Slow Food Editore and Slow Food Promozione reinvest on the basis of the statute all the benefits (income) into the associations.

Does Slow Food have fundraising guidelines?
Yes. At the root of Slow Food’s fundraising guidelines is the desire to create long-term partnerships with contributors, based on a mutual understanding and shared philosophy. Contributors cannot conduct activities that conflict with the movement’s philosophy, and Slow Food retains total autonomy with respect to its contributors – they do not influence the choices or activities of the association.

Where does my membership fee go?
The membership fees are divided between the convivium and the various offices of Slow Food’s international headquarters, which provide membership benefits. On a local level funds are used to plan convivium activities. The international headquarters use the funds to produce Slow magazine and support Slow Food’s projects for biodiversity. Once a national association is established, the portion of the fee that went to the International Service Centre can be redirected to the national office.