Founder and President of Slow Food, an international association founded in 1989 by the pre-existing Arcigola. His ideas gave birth to the first University of Gastronomic Sciences and Earth Mother, the network of over 2000 food communities, which brings together farmers, breeders, cheesemakers, fishermen, young people, researchers and academics.
In 2004 the Time Magazine gave him the title of “European Hero”, while in January 2008 he appears, the only Italian, among the “50 people who could save the world” in the list drawn up by The Guardian newspaper. In September 2013 he was awarded the “Champions of the Earth” Award, for the category “Creativity and Enterprise”, the highest honor for environmental merit of the United Nations.
Since May 2016 he has been FAO ambassador for Europe on the “Zero Hunger” project.
He is also a Repubblica columnist, collaborator of L’Espresso and author of several books.