Mission of Slow Food
Slow Food USA envisions a future food system that is based on the principles of high quality and taste, environmental sustainability, and social justice – in essence, a food system founded upon stewardship that is good, clean and fair. We seek to catalyze a broad cultural shift away from the destructive effects of an industrial food system and fast life; toward the regenerative cultural, social and economic benefits of a sustainable food system, regional food traditions, the pleasures of the table, and a slower and more harmonious rhythm of life.

The Slow Food Philosophy
Slow Food USA is a non-profit educational organization dedicated to supporting and celebrating the food traditions of North America through programs and activities dedicated to Taste Education, Defending Biodiversity and Building Food Communities. Slow Food USA believes that pleasure and quality in everyday life can be achieved by slowing down, respecting the convivial traditions of the table and celebrating the diversity of the earth's bounty. From the spice of Cajun cooking to the delicious simplicity of produce at a farmers’ market; from animal breeds and heirloom varieties of fruits and vegetables to handcrafted wine and beer, farmhouse cheeses and other artisanal products; these foods are a part of our cultural identity. They reflect generations of commitment to the land and devotion to the processes that yield the greatest achievements in taste.

These foods, and the communities that produce and depend on them, are constantly at risk of succumbing to the effects of the fast life, which manifests itself through the industrialization and standardization of our food supply and degradation of our farmland. By reviving the pleasures of the table, and using our taste buds as our guides, Slow Food USA believes that our food heritage can be saved. Our goal is to put the carriers of this heritage on center stage and educate our membership about the importance of these principles. We hope you will join us.

Slow Food U.S.A. oversees Slow Food activities in North America, including the support and promotion of the activities of 170 local chapters, each called a "convivium," that carry out the Slow Food mission on a local level. Each convivium offers educational events and public outreach that promote taste education, that advocate sustainability and biodiversity and that connect producers and “co-producers.”

The Slow Food Movement
Slow Food is good, clean and fair food. We believe that the food we eat should taste good; that it should be produced in a clean way that does not harm the environment, animal welfare or our health; and that food producers should receive fair compensation for their work, and that all people should have access to this good and clean food.

We consider ourselves co-producers, not consumers, because by being informed about how our food is produced and actively supporting those who produce it, we become a part of and a partner in the production process. People respond to the growing movement, and the ideas expressed therein, for many different reasons: some have become tired of eating the same foods wherever they go across the globe; some have noticed the degradation of flavor in our food; some are concerned about the health issues raised by an industrialized food supply; some would like to be environmental stewards of the land through the food choices they make. The beauty of Slow Food is that it provides a welcome home for the food lover, the health seeker, and the environmentalist. With all of these interests in mind, our mission is to create a robust, active movement that protects taste, culture and the environment as universal social values.

History of the Movement
In 1986, the founding father of the Slow Food Movement, Carlo Petrini recognized that the industrialization of food was standardizing taste and leading to the annihilation of thousands of food varieties and flavors. He wanted to reach out to consumers and demonstrate to them that they have choices over fast food and supermarket homogenization. He rallied his friends and his community, and began to speak out at every available opportunity about the effects of a fast culture. Soon after, Petrini realized that in order to keep those alternative food choices alive, it was imperative to be an eco-gastronomic movement—one that is ecologically minded and concerned with sustainability and sees the connection between the plate and the planet. With the preservation of taste at the forefront, he sought to support and protect small growers and artisanal producers, support and protect the physical environment, and promote biodiversity. Today, the organization that Petrini and his colleagues founded is active in over 100 countries and has a worldwide membership of over 80,000.

Convivia (consumers)
In the U.S., our 15,000 members are organized in 170 convivia, or local chapters. Our convivia are led by committees of volunteer leaders who plan events, programs and initiatives in their communities. Our leaders are committed to education and social action as well as the celebration of taste. Our local initiatives range from film festivals and taste workshops to school garden projects and farm tours. There are currently over 800 convivia around the world in over 100 countries.

Presidia (food producers)
With just thirty plants feeding 95% of the world's population (currently 6.5 billion people), a global effort is needed to restore the earth's agricultural biodiversity. We're not going to restore our bounty tastefully, or sustainably, by applying biotechnology/molecular genetics to industrial agriculture. Just as Slow Food USA's Ark of Taste project documents and promotes our forgotten and neglected foods to create a catalog of our diversity, our presidia projects directly support the needs of these foods’ stewards. Through marketing, production, and technical assistance each of our presidia projects develop regional economies and communities.