On April 30, the internationally acclaimed grassroots movement, Slow Food USA, announced the cancellation of its fourth annual Slow Food Nations festival, which would’ve taken place on September 11 – 13 in and around downtown Denver’s historic Larimer Square. The event usually attracts more than 30,000 sustainably-minded eaters, producers, chefs, farmers, speakers, industry leaders and more.
READ: Slow Food Nations Continues to Prove Food Activism and Education Can Be Delicious
“Gathering people together is a pillar of the Slow Food mission. However, the health, safety and well-being of everyone involved remains our top priority,” stated the festival’s executive director, Krista Roberts, in a press release. “Our team is working to create virtual programming this fall to support and gather this community, and we look forward to coming together in person once this crisis is over.”
One of the festival’s current virtual programs is Slow Food Live, a free skill-share series wherein its chefs and merchants teach viewers from around the globe about a variety of topics, including (but not limited to) how to make zero-waste minestrone and horchata.
The COVID-19 pandemic has strained nearly every aspect of the food industry, and Slow Food USA is directing its efforts to feed and support local communities during this time. The nonprofit organization recently established a National Resilience Fund designed to “sustain communities in the current crisis and build more resilient food systems in the long term,” according to its website description.
Slow Food USA is an international movement and nonprofit organization that aims to “banish the degrading effects of fast food” and counteract the “universal folly of fast life,” as it phrases on its website. For over 30 years, Slow Food USA has campaigned for more sustainable farming, ranching and fishing practices to promote locally and seasonally based food systems that enrich both the planet and its people. The organization has a presence in over 160 countries and there are 150 local chapters in the United States.
Learn about Slow Food USA’s response to the coronavirus pandemic here.