The conference “Food and Identity: Cultural Tradition, Diplomacy and Health” sponsored by the Permanent Mission of Italy to the United Nations in collaboration with the Missions of Ethiopia, Cyprus and Saudi Arabia was held on Wednesday July 2nd, at the United Nations Headquarters in New York. Experts and nutritionists participated in the event to discuss the positive contribution that traditional diets can make in promoting a healthy lifestyle and combating noncommunicable diseases. This topic is avery relevant now in light also of the ongoing UN negotiations on a policy statement on the subject. Moderated by Prof. Roberta Re, Director of Cambridge Food Science, the event included the following speakers: Prof. Lorenzo Donini, Tenure Professor at La Sapienza in Rome and expert on the Mediterranean Diet, Prof. Hugo Da Costa Ribeiro, Tenure Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Bahia in Brazil, and Prof. Ahmed Magdi Abu Zaid, Director of the Office of Research and Innovation at “Al Faisal” University in Riyadh.
In his opening remarks, the Permanent Representative of Italy to the UN, Amb. Maurizio Massari, commented on the fact that “in an era of increasing globalization, food is not merely a source of nutrients, but a powerful expression of cultural identity, a tool of diplomacy, and a key component of health policies. Italy believes that public health should not only be based on solid scientific evidence, but should also take advantage of the cultural traditions of individual countries as an important tool to prevent noncommunicable diseases. In conclusion, Amb. Massari added that “The Mediterranean Diet, part of our tradition and recognized by UNESCO as intangible heritage of humanity, is just one example of a positive dynamic whereby numerous globally culinary traditions have the potential to be integrated into development policies to protect health.”
