In the global gastronomic panorama, a new movement is taking hold: "Let's plant the future", an awareness campaign launched by Slow Food, which aims to revolutionize our eating habits. The goal is simple but ambitious: to encourage restaurants and chefs around the world to adopt a more plant-based approach, reducing the environmental impact of our diet and improving public health.
Relais & Châteaux: a long-standing collaboration with Slow Food
On the occasion of the eighth annual collaboration with the international Slow Food movement, Relais & Châteaux invites its 580 establishments to participate in the “Plant the Future” campaign. The initiative is an integral part of the Food For Change project, through which the hotel association seeks to promote a diet richer in vegetables.
Relais & Châteaux's efforts focus on nine key principles, represented by nine world-renowned chefs, which will drive the change towards more sustainable gastronomy. The goal is to not only push the boundaries of culinary creativity, but also highlight the nutritional benefits of a diet that includes vegetables, legumes, grains, seaweed, nuts, seeds, mushrooms and fermented foods.
With “Let's plant the future”, a creative and sustainable cuisine
Adopting a more plant-based diet is not only about individual health and well-being, but also about preserving the environment. The campaign aims to raise public awareness of the damage caused by industrial agriculture and intensive fishing, while promoting a reduction of the ecological footprint through greater attention to plant foods.
According to the United Nations, the protein contained in 100g of legumes emits only 0,9kg of greenhouse gases, compared to 35,5kg for the same amount of beef protein. These data underline the urgency of rebalancing our diet in favor of greater environmental sustainability.
Chefs as agents of change
Mauro Colagreco, Vice President Chef of Relais & Châteaux, says: “With 376 Michelin stars, of which 40 are green, the exceptional chefs in our network have the power to change our relationship with cuisine. They can demonstrate how a menu rich in plants, integrating animal proteins from agroecology, can compete with the quality of traditional cuisine, while responding to the climate emergency."
Edward Mukiibi, president of Slow Food, underlines the importance of the historic moment: “We must mobilize with determination to improve animal welfare and address climate and health challenges. A more plant-based and ecologically sustainable diet can radically transform our dietary model, reducing the impact of intensive farming."
“Let's plant the future”: a global commitment to the future
Relais & Châteaux and Slow Food will provide restaurants with a series of recommendations based on nine key principles, to guide the adoption of new culinary practices. These guidelines are designed to explain the importance of the proposed changes and how to implement them into daily practice.
Furthermore, an amplification campaign on social networks will highlight the creations and initiatives implemented by the various venues, showing how a cuisine richer in plants can be creative, tasty and healthy.
A growing movement
Founded in 1954, Relais & Châteaux is an association of 580 exceptional hotels and restaurants around the world. These establishments, often family-run, are driven by a passion for authenticity and the quality of customer relationships. The members of Relais & Châteaux are committed to the protection and promotion of local cuisine and hospitality traditions, as well as the conservation of local heritage and the environment, as enshrined in their Manifesto presented to UNESCO in 2014.
Slow Food, for its part, is a global network founded in 1986 in Bra - in the rich food and wine area of the Langhe - to counter the disappearance of local food traditions and the spread of fast food. Today, the movement involves millions of people in more than 160 countries, working to ensure everyone has access to good, clean and fair food.
For more information on the “Plant the Future” campaign and its guiding principles, you can visit the official websites Relais & Châteaux e Slow Food.
