Salone Del Gusto:
The Salone Del Gusto, as I have learned is the biggest international event dedicated to food. It is a biennial event that gathers representatives, chefs, restaurateurs, farmers, students, teachers, researchers and more for countries all over the world. This year alone, there were over 150 nations represented. It is held in an enormous arena and event center where there are three different buildings dedicated to holding this event as well as smaller paid entry events and dinners hosted all around the city of Turin. To learn more about Salone Del Gusto, see all the events, news, partners, and exhibitors, visit their page – https://salonedelgusto.com
Day one:
While Carrie and I ran into several obstacles getting to Turin and the conference we made it… Hurray!
Within the hour of arriving at Terra Madre Salone Del Gusto, we bumped into several representatives from the USA that Carrie has worked alongside for years. It was a great chance for me to step in and learn a bit more history about AGA’s role with other organizations and more specifically, within this conference over the past 7 gatherings in Turin. As the conference grew, so did the recognition of AGA as an authority among international grassfed groups, slow food chapters, and individuals working within the industry. The conversations ranged from direct access to farmers and farmers markets for personal purchases and public supply (like schools) and incorporation of better food and menu options in hotels for guests and conferences to the climate, chef dinners, and food movements.
After the flurry of catch-up and networking, we got a peak at the international booths – with over 150 nations being represented, walk the food expo ARENA (seriously it’s huge), tasted some delicious… and some, odd tasting samples of cured meats, cheeses, olives, spreads, drinks, and other miscellaneous snacks! We also attended the USA delegate meeting and it was great to see so many representatives there. Again, the topics truly ranged as the idea of good, fair food for everyone touches on many lives and many aspects of those lives.
Overall, day one’s takeaway was this – We are on the right path but we need to be open to even more change and reinvention. We need to recognize failure and change course. We need to feed and educate children about food, where it comes from, and how to cook it, because when we are gone, they are the legacy that will continue to change the world. We need to make commitments to producers and truly act on those commitments in order to save the rural communities and thereby saving our food and planet from the current abuse. And finally, we are many, but we still need many. We need to keep going, keep talking, and keep educating because each voice will help the many grow and eventually the many will overpower the corporate. So, Let’s get to work AGA!
Day 2:
Today was a day for the books in the grassfed world – literally. AGA met with the leaders and affiliated farmers of grassfed organizations from the UK, South Africa, Romania, and Italy. We shared ideas on how to help each other grow as an organization, discussed common obstacles faced by grassfed producers, recognize where each organization has been and where it is going and more. We have big plans in store but we can’t spill the beans yet – looks like you will just have to stay tuned until we are able to meet with them again next year.
After our meeting, we literally broke bread, and shared a family style lunch of delicious grassfed meats and cheeses and hand picked fruits from their farms across Europe and Africa.
We closed out the day with yet another high note at a panel about the quality of farming for Cattle. There were panelists from Japan, Uganda, Italy, South Africa, Germany and the UK. Each bringing with them a unique perspective on farming and how their environment and cultural traditions play a role in their grassfed and pasture fed systems for meat and dairy production. The common thread however between them all was also a core value at AGA – at the core they all understand the same thing: quality gives quality and in order to get quality you must care about all aspects of the process, all the needs of the animal, and all the impacts your decisions in raising animals makes on your environment.
Day 2 was a great day!
Learn more about the Organizations and Representatives we met with:
Caroline McCann – Braeside Butchery – South Africa
Associazione Italiana Alimente Grass-fed
Ceres Farm – Romania
