5.3 food in italy

Fabrizio Ceschin, Carlo Vezzoli Politecnico di Milano / Faculty of Design / INDACO Dept. / Italy

course

PRODUCT-SERVICE SYSTEM DESIGN FOR SUSTAINABILITY

subject

4. Design exercise – sustainable system concept for eating in Politecnico di Bovisa campus

learning resource

4.3 Food in Italy

contributors:

Fabrizio Ceschin, Carlo Vezzoli Politecnico di Milano / Faculty of Design / INDACO Dep. / Italy

LeNS, the Learning Network on Sustainability: Asian-European multi-polar network for curricula development on Design for Sustainability focused on product service system innovation. Funded by the Asia-Link Programme, EuroAid, European Commission.


Contents

. the Mediterranean diet

. regional cuisines

. consumption trends and traditional cuisines

. promising cases


the Mediterranean diet


represents the traditional Italian nutritional model

THE MEDITERRANEAN DIET


CEREALS (high consumption)

THE MEDITERRANEAN DIET / MAIN FOODS


FRUITS AND VEGETABLES (high consumption)



LEGUMES(high consumption)



OLIVE OIL(high consumption)



DAIRY PRODUCTS(moderate consumption)

WINE(moderate consumption)



FISH(moderate to high consumption)


MEAT(low consumption)


HEALTH EFFECTS

The Mediterranean diet is often cited as beneficial for being low in saturated fat and high in monounsaturated fat and dietary fiber.

One of the main explanations is thought to be the health effects of olive oil included in the Mediterranean diet.

In addition, the consumption of red wine is considered a possible factor, as it contains flavonoids with powerful antioxidant properties.


regional cuisines


REGIONAL CUISINES

In Italian cuisine, ingredients and dishes vary by region.

Each area has its own specialties, primarily at regional level, but also even at provincial level.

These regional variances can come from the influence of a bordering country (such as France or Austria), geographical and climate conditions (vicinity to the sea or mountains) as well as economic progress.

Italian cuisine is also distinguished by being very seasonal with high priority placed on the use of fresh, seasonal products.


MILAN

LOMBARDY CUISINE / traditional specialties

Risotto alla milanese

Cotoletta alla milanese

Casseruola

Panettone

Grana Padano

Polenta


consumption trends and traditional cuisine


CONSUMPTION TRENDS AND TRADITIONAL CUISINEAlso in Italy, even if with a minor pace respect Europe, the new consumption trends threaten the traditional food cuisine.

In this sense main trends are:

- Consumption of highly processed food (fast and convenience food), accompanied by a decreasing knowledge about nutrition and food

- Reduction of the average preparation time for food products

- Loss of cultural diversity and food traditions

- Over-consumption of calories per capita


ORGANIC FOOD IN ITALY

Share of organic area in the total utilised agricultural areas (%), 2003 (Eurostat, 2005)

ITALY, 8%

…but it has also to be underlined that in Italy there is a relatively high share of organic agriculture, with an annual growth rate of 20%


as a contra-trend to the fast food tendency, different movements and

initiatives grown up in the last years…


Defence of Biodiversity

Defence of Biodiversity

Linking Producers and Consumers (Co-producers)

Slow Food is a non-profit, eco-gastronomic member-supported organization that was founded in 1989 to counteract fast food and fast life, the disappearance of local food traditions and people’s dwindling interest in the food they eat, where it comes from, how it tastes and how our food choices affect the rest of the world.Today, SF have over 80,000 members all over the world.


some examples of sustainable promising cases…


Food purchase group_Milan: Filo di Paglia

organised groups of people buy food directly from farmers


Italy, Milan Biomercatino - The Little Organic Market

People living in he city access high-quality organic food directly from producers…


People over 60 raise vegetables and fruit in town, spend time together, and enjoy the open air

Italy, Milan Orti del Parco Nord - Parco Nord Vegetable Gardens


producers network to share equipments and knowledge, and to valorise local products

Italy, Sondrio, Associazione Produttori Apistici Sondrio – Sondrio association honeybee producers


Italy, L’Aquila, “Adotta una pecora” – “adopt a sheep”

adopt a sheep and you will receive at home derived food products (cheese, wool)


Italy, Milan, Impollinazione urbana – Urban pollination

association promoting vegetable gardens within urban contexts

5.3 food in italy

Business