Slow Food Movement

Social critics argue that we live in a “runaway world” of “fast capitalism.” Accelerating market forces homogenize cultures at the global scale, while prompting reactionary resistance from traditional communities at the local scale. The Slow Food Movement (SFM) resists the homogenizing effects of globalization. It does so by promoting local foods, flavors, and cultures in a way that promotes social equality and environmental sustainability.

Slow food can be explained by defining its opposite. Because companies need to preserve global brand identity, fast food has to be highly processed and laden with artificial ingredients to ensure it tastes the same regardless of where it was purchased. The need for product standardization also forces change on farms, manufacturing processes, and the scale of the agrifood system. Locally-produced foods ...