“Savour Philippines 7107” Featured at World’s Largest Food Fair

Filipino food products such as rice, sugar, coffee and dried fruits like mangoes, coconut and guyabano were featured at the 10th Salone Internazionale del Gusto e Terra Madre held from October 23 to 27 in the Northern Italian city of Turin. Visitors to the world’s largest food fair also had the opportunity to sample Filipino cuisine.

Dubbed as “Savour Philippines 7107,” the country’s participation to the 2014 edition of the biennial food fair, which attracted more than a quarter of a million visitors with over 1000 exhibitors from 130 countries, was made possible through the active facilitation and support of the Philippine Department of Agriculture (DA).

Present at the five-day event were DA Undersecretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat, who led the Philippine delegation composed of other officials from DA’s national and regional offices, Filipino chefs Margarita Fores and Noel dela Rama from New York, agricultural groups from civil society, organic farmers and coffee entrepreneur Pacita Juan of Chit’s Coffee.

This year, Salone del Gusto is once more united into a single event with the international meeting of Terra Madre and the network of small-scale producers from around the world as was done in 2012. There were 1000 exhibitors from 130 countries.

Organized by the Italian Regional Authority of Piedmont, the City Government of Turin and Slow Food International in collaboration with Italy’s Ministry of Agricultural, Food and Forestry Policies, this year’s Salone celebrated the theme of “Family Farming” in support of the United Nations’ Declaration of Year 2014 as the “International Year of Family Farming.” In this regard, the country’s participation took on greater meaning as the country strongly supports family farming. The Philippines is a prime mover of family farming as an important tool to reduce poverty, provide food security and nutrition, improve livelihoods, manage natural resources, protect the environment and achieve sustainable development, particularly in rural areas.

The country’s commitment in continuing the process of promoting family farming is attested by Philippines’ forthcoming hosting of the Closing Event of the Year of Family Farming in 27 November 2014 in Makati City, valued as an opportunity to take stock of the progress achieved and chart the way forward to support the advocacy.

Slow Food was founded by Carlo Petrini and a group of activists in the 1980s with the initial aim to defend regional traditions, good food, gastronomic pleasure and a slow pace of life. In over two decades of history, the slow food movement and philosophy continues to promote a comprehensive approach to food recognizing the strong connections between plate, planet, people, politics and culture. It now represents a global movement involving thousands of projects and millions of people in over 160 countries.

Source: www.dfa.gov.ph, PCOO

Image Credit: www.nadeenboman.com