Slow Food Nation: Opinion Piece- "Come to the Table"

Posted by Sara Grady
"Come to the Table," the motto of Slow Food Nation this past weekend in San Francisco, summed the gathering's goal of inspiring and catalyzing “a new critical awareness of food culture." It certainly was inspirational to see so many people connecting to a burgeoning social movement around food issues. Yet it appeared that most of us in attendance were already at the proverbial table.

Not surprisingly then, the pervasive refrain of participants at Slow Food Nation became: where do we go from here? What will shape the identity of this ‘social movement’, and what will give it cohesion? The all-star speakers who ruminated on these questions in the culminating session on Saturday included Michael Pollan, Alice Waters, Vandana Shiva, Eric Schlosser, Carlo Petrini, and Wendell Berry. While the panel and the conference overall refrained from bold counsel for the future, some direction was provided via possible pitfalls to avoid.

For example, Eric Schlosser eloquently emphasized the importance of including human rights and social justice on the food systems agenda, cautioning against the dangers of narcissism. Vandana Shiva conjured the risks of "fragmentation and fashion" that could plague a popular movement, and Wendell Berry likewise rhapsodized on the need for group cooperation.

Although there are critics of Slow Food’s role as convener for such a social movement, I am intrigued about the potential for Slow Food’s local chapters to serve collective progress. One proposal involving the chapters recommended that each one pair an experienced local farmer with an aspiring or emerging farmer, to encourage the continuation of agricultural know-how in younger generations. It was also proposed that each local Slow Food chapter build solid collaborations with labor rights activists and unions in their area, to ensure the inclusion of food workers' rights within their activities.

The essence of some of these ideas were embraced in a "A Declaration for Healthy Food and Agriculture," sponsored by Roots of Change, which lists "principles that should frame food and agriculture policy." You can review, comment on, and endorse the Declaration online ( www.fooddeclaration.org ).