Return to traditional values? A case study of Slow Food

Abstract

The increasingly vociferous criticism of the fast food industry is being paralleled by a growing interest in Slow Food. This case study outlines the origins of the Slow Food movement in Italy in the mid 1980s and describes its spread and growth since then. A simple examination of the movement’s characteristics and activities reveals that, while many of its members seek to celebrate the simple pleasures of eating and drinking local produce and share a series of homespun philosophies, the movement itself has ambitious and potentially far reaching goals. The case study then goes on to explore some of the issues raised by the movement and concludes that while Slow Food provides a valuable contrast to the seemingly all powerful fast food industry it seems unlikely to be able to challenge the power of that industry or to promote widespread changes in the modern world’s eating habits.

Citation

Jones, P., Shears, P., Hillier, D., Comfort, D. and Lowell, J. (2003), "Return to traditional values? A case study of Slow Food", British Food Journal, Vol. 105 No. 4/5, pp. 297-304. https://doi.org/10.1108/00070700310477095