FAO Opening Remarks at Italian Cuisine Week event: Traditional Diets for Sustainable Wellbeing

Traditional Diets for Sustainable Wellbeing 

16 November 2023, 16:30, United Nations Headquarters, CR5 

H.E. Mr. Maurizio Massari, Permanent Representative of Italy, 

Excellencies,  

Ladies and Gentlemen,  

First of all, allow me to congratulate Italy for organizing the Eight Annual Week of Italian Cuisine in the United States. I am honored to contribute to this initiative that celebrates well-being, taste and sustainability. 

If you were asked what your favorite food is, your answers might vary. If I were to ask you about your most memorable food, on the other hand, most (if not all) of you may think of a warm, home-cooked meal from your childhood. This is the remarkable influence and power of traditional diets. 

Traditional diets are closely linked with our cultures, regions, religions, ecosystems, and our identities. They are not only a reflection of cultural diversity, but also a reservoir of sustainable practices that have sustained communities for generations.  

Yet, these traditional diets are affected due to a combination of factors such as population growth, globalization, urbanization, and economic pressures. We need to transform from traditional diets to healthy diets.  

To complete this transformation, we must Preserve, Promote and Protect- preserve traditional diets, promote healthy diets, and protect our ecosystems. We can start doing this in four ways: 

Firstly, through awareness and education. Raising awareness of what constitutes a healthy diet can help people to make informed choices about production and consumption, factoring in nutritional needs and personal preferences. 

FAO is actively supporting countries in this regard. In 2019, FAO and WHO jointly released Guiding Principles on Sustainable Healthy Diets. We are also working with countries around the world to develop Food-based Dietary Guidelines, in line with current scientific evidence. 

Secondly, science and innovation hold great potential. By integrating innovation, modern science and technology into all stages of the value chain, from farm to fork, we can enhance the efficiency and sustainability of how we produce and consume.  

Thirdly, agricultural practices can be promoted through a blend of nature-based and science-based solutions. Governments, farmers, the private sector, local communities and chefs can work hand in hand to make a difference. 

Lastly, through integrated policies and action, FAO, through its global network, governing bodies and policy recommendations, facilitates its members to design and implement the right policies to ensure affordable and healthy diets.  

FAO remains committed to eliminating hunger and malnutrition in all forms by transforming agrifood systems to be more efficient, inclusive, resilient, and sustainable; ensuring healthy diets are available, accessible and affordable to all people, leaving no one behind. 

In closing, I would like to thank H.E. Ambassador Massari and the Permanent Mission of Italy for co-hosting this interesting event, that gives a well-deserved platform to the importance of preserving traditional diets for sustainable wellbeing.  

Thank you.