Press Release
The Permanent Mission of Italy to the United Nations formally presented a resolution to establish November 16 as International Mediterranean Diet Day, for it to be adopted by the General Assembly by the first half of December. Italy’s Permanent Representative in New York, Maurizio Massari, laid out the initiative: “The Mediterranean diet is much more than a diet, it is a genuine lifestyle appreciated internationally, which encompasses a set of skills, knowledge, practices, and traditions” said the Ambassador, adding “By establishing thisInternational Day we want to promote the Mediterranean diet as a global paragon that can foster sustainable, healthy food systems in harmony with the environment and local territories”.
Ambassador Massari also emphasized that the initiative is part of Italy’s commitment to transforming global agri-food systems and recalled that Italy organized this year’s United Nations Food Systems Summit +4 (UNFSS+4) together with Ethiopia, after hosting the first Summit in Rome in 2021.
The resolution to establish International Mediterranean Diet Day was proposed by Italy together with Croatia, Cyprus, France, Greece, Lebanon, Morocco, Portugal, San Marino, Spain, and Tunisia.
Since November 2010, the Mediterranean Diet has also been included in UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, and last July, the FAO General Conference approved a resolution to establish International Mediterranean Diet Day.
