Carlo Petrini, the journalist who founded the Slow Food movement in protest against the arrival of the first McDonald's in Italy, has died aged 76. He died at his home in Bra, Piedmont, after a battle with prostate cancer.
Petrini led Slow Food, which since 1986 has campaigned against fast-food culture by promoting sustainability and local cuisine, as president until 2022. He also founded the University of Gastronomic Sciences in Pollenzo.
Italy's president, Sergio Mattarella, led tributes, saying Petrini's death leaves 'a great void' in food and wine science and society. Agriculture minister Francesco Lollobrigida said 'not every person leaves a trace of their passage, but Carlo Petrini did'.
Petrini and friends established Slow Food in 1986 after protests against the opening of Italy's first McDonald's near the Spanish Steps in Rome, handing out plates of pasta and shouting 'We don't want fast food. We want slow food.'
Slow Food is now active in more than 160 countries. Petrini was a friend of King Charles, and in 2004 was named a 'European hero' by Time magazine.
