Slow Food

By Jessica Campbell, MS, FNTP

There are few organizations that I really love and put a lot of time and attention into and Slow Food is one of them. Slow Food was originated in Italy when a group of locals protested the opening of a McDonalds near the Spanish Steps. The organization represented the complete opposite of fast food by placing importance in local food, home cooked by traditional methods.

The Campbell Coop

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Slow Food has since expanded globally to include over 100,000 members in over 150 countries. I recently joined and became a leader in my regional chapter, the Slow Food South Bay and because we are having a membership drive, I wanted to encourage you to join. Especially if you are in the South Bay region as we have a lot of new blood this year and are putting on really fun events.  A standard membership is only a $60 tax deductible donation and you get invited to a range of really cool events.

This weekend my family participated in a free event called the Tour de Coop where people throughout the bay area rode their bikes over 100 miles of bike trails to see home gardens, coops, small farms and bee hives. Last weekend we toured the Hummingbird Farm in Cupertino where the owners grow their own food and make their own beer and sodas. I also attended a very controversial event in food integrity with SHFM. If you are interested in advocating, educating, or just celebrating the integrity of Slow Food, this is the place for you.