What is Slow Food?

Mount Stuart was proud to work alongside Slow Food UK to deliver this inaugural event celebrating local food.

Slow Food calls for food to be 'Good, Clean and Fair'. This international movement aims to retain the diverse heritage of regional food and drink, and to protect it from globalisation. It is also increasingly aware of the associated environmental issues that come with the fight against food globalisation.

The Slow Food movement began in 1986 when an Italian journalist visited Rome and was horrified to see a new branch of McDonalds at the foot of the Spanish Steps. Since then, it has become an international organisation of 80,000 members in 90 countries. Slow Food is not against progress or technological advancement, but seeks to retain and develop the rich diversity of our world's land and heritage.

• Food should taste GOOD: the frantic fast world's obsessions with unnecessary industrialisation, excessive 'food miles', standardisation and homogeneity very often result in bland food that simply doesn't taste as good as food that has been produced locally with care, pride and passion.
• Food should be CLEAN: it should be produced in a sustainable way, without any negative impact on our environment, and with a minimum of artificial intervention.
• Food should be produced in a FAIR way: its producers should not be exploited but should be paid a fair amount for their skill and labour.

For more information, please visit www.slowfood.org.uk