Carlo Petrini – Be More Carlo
On May 21 2026, in the town of Bra (Piemonte, Italy, where he was born), Carlo Petrini died at the age of 76.
Who was Carlo Petrini?
Carlo Petrini was an Italian writer and activist. He founded what became the Slow Food movement in 1986 and was President until 2022. Subsequently, he also established the international Terra Madre gatherings, the Salone del Gusto in Torino, and the University of Gastronomic Sciences in Pollenzo, near Bra.
Consequently, through these initiatives he created a global movement rooted in the values of good, clean, and fair food for all.1 It connects communities, farmers, food artisans, cooks, activists, and young people around the world. Unquestionably, he was a visionary leader with a profound commitment to the common good, human relationships, and nature.
But there was much more besides, as described in this this excellent obituary by Rachel Roddy.2
I’m indebted to Carlo Petrini, having now been a Slow Food member for many years and particularly inspired by visits to Salone del Gusto.
Salone del Gusto, Torino
An Inspiration
Carlo was an inspiration to over a million people in 160 countries globally. Therefore, a letter from Slow Food UK, reproduced below in full, makes a fitting epitaph.
“As we mourn the passing of Carlo Petrini, the founder of Slow Food, our thoughts turn naturally to his legacy.
What began 40 years ago as a group of friends determined to change the world became a global movement active in more than 160 countries. Carlo’s rallying cry — that everyone deserves food that is Good, Clean and Fair — is a principle so simple, so human, that no one can argue with it. And today, we commit to doubling down on that vision.
From school lunches to ultra processed foods, from heritage varieties to Earth markets, Slow Food has not only been ahead of the curve — we have often been the curve. So let us commit, today, to be more Carlo. To change what matters.
It might mean taking part in Time for Lunch, our annual June campaign championing a proper lunch for everyone. It might mean supporting the aims of our major programmes. Like Slow Fish, Slow Cheese, or Slow Coffee.1
It could be supporting grassroots work such as teaching widowers who have never cooked how to nourish themselves. Or supporting our children’s programmes that build skills, confidence and connection through tasting, making and growing.
It might mean choosing to spend a little more where it has most impact. If every household in the UK shifted just £20 a week to products of artisan businesses, it would inject £31 billion directly into those businesses. We don’t need to spend more. We simply need to choose on what it’s spent. That’s a change we can all get behind.
We believe everyone deserves good food. We believe that having agency over what you eat tonight matters. Food banks should be for true emergencies, not the default system for feeding those on low incomes. We believe everyone deserves joy around the table, one of Carlo’s enduring messages. Most of us carry memories of laughter, warmth, and a favourite dish made with love. Yet tables are disappearing, and time together is shrinking. We are all poorer for it.
We believe in these things. That they are worth fighting for. That farmers, producers, and all of us who eat deserve something Good, Clean and Fair tonight.
So stand with us. Double down.
Be more Carlo.”
Carlo Petrini, 22 June 1949 – 21 May 2026. Undeniably a life well-lived.
Notes
- Good, meaning high quality and flavourful. Clean, meaning the naturalness of production. Fair, meaning equitable pricing for producers and consumers.
- Rachel Roddy is an English food writer living in Rome.
- And don’t forget The Slow Wine Coalition.