Why do we celebrate International Sustainable Gastronomy Day on June 18?
On December 21, 2016 the UN General Assembly (UNGA) adopted resolution A/RES/71/246 designating June 18th as International Sustainable Gastronomy Day. Every year, UNGA, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) put the focus on International Sustainable Gastronomy Day on June 18 because “gastronomy is an expression related to the natural and cultural diversity of the world.”
What is sustainable gastronomy?
The Food and Agriculture of the United Nations defines Sustainable Gastronomy as: “Sustainable gastronomy means cuisine that takes into account where the ingredients are from, how the food is grown and how it gets to our markets and eventually to our plates.”
We are mindful of:
- where the food on our plates came from
- how it is produced
- where the cuisine originated
- not being wasteful
- supporting the local foodshed
How do we celebrate International Sustainable Gastronomy Day?
Shop local. Visit your city’s farmer’s market.
If you live in the US, find a farmers’ market near you at the USDA.gov website. If you’ve never been to the local farmer’s market, here are our tips to help you make it a successful day.
Learn how to make soup, stir fry, or fruit salad to avoid waste.
When the goal is not to be wasteful, we want to be able to use our fruit and vegetables before they go bad.
When we learn how to make soup, a stir fry or fruit salad, we can easily make a delicious dish with leftovers or food that is getting close to expiring.
Visit a local farm.
Farms that sell their produce at the Farmer’s Market quite often have an open house for customers to see how they produce their wares. Contact them at the Market or give them a call to see if they are having an open house for Sustainable Gastronomy Day.
You can also do a vineyard tour, visit an orchard, or a berry picking farm to pick berries or buy fresh berries.
Host a dinner party where you serve recipes from your cultural roots.
Invite mom, grandma and the aunties to come and prepare dinner with you so you can learn the tricks and tips to make the dishes just like they’ve been made for generations.
Is food sustainability something you think about when you eat out or buy groceries?
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