A hand holding coffee beans.
Magdalena Salsinha, holding coffee beans, one of Timor-Leste’s most important crops.
Photo:UN Photo/Martine Perret

 

What is Sustainable Gastronomy?

Gastronomy is sometimes called the art of food. It can also refer to a style of cooking from a particular region. In other words, gastronomy often refers to local food and cuisine. Sustainability is the idea that something (e.g. agriculture, fishing or even preparation of food) is done in a way that is not wasteful of our natural resources and can be continued into the future without being detrimental to our environment or health.

Sustainable gastronomy, therefore, means cuisine that takes into account where the ingredients are from, how the food is grown and how it gets to our markets and eventually to our plates.

Source: FAO  

 

How the UN System Works for a Sustainable Gastronomy

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the UN General Assembly work to facilitate the observance of Sustainable Gastronomy Day, in collaboration with Member States, UN organizations and other international and regional bodies, as well as civil society, to observe the Day in raising public awareness of its contribution to sustainable development.

Some of UNESCO’s initiatives include:

  • Launching the UNESCO Creative Cities Network , created in 2004 to share best practices and develop partnerships in 7 creative fields. As of 2024, 49 cities have been designated Creative Cities of Gastronomy;
  • Promoting clean energy for local restaurants (use gas and electricity instead of coal, use natural gas rather than carbon);
  • Raising public awareness of sustainable gastronomy through TV food channels and gastronomy shows and through food cultural exhibitions, intended for the food industry and farmers.

As for the FAO, the Organization promotes green culture diets that are not only healthy, but sustainable and suggests that countries that already have dietary guidelines should begin to consider a process of incorporating sustainability into them.

From the FAO

 

Focusing on the role of sustainable gastronomy

The UN General Assembly adopted on 21 December 2016 its resolution A/RES/71/246 and designated 18 June as an international observance, Sustainable Gastronomy Day.

The decision acknowledges gastronomy as a cultural expression related to the natural and cultural diversity of the world. In the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, and as the Earth is facing a triple planetary crisis of climate disruption, nature loss and pollution, sustainable gastronomy - celebrating seasonal ingredients and producers, preserving wildlife as well as our culinary traditions - is today more relevant than ever.

 

The Five Principles of Sustainable Food and Agriculture

 

FAO has developed a common vision and an integrated approach to sustainability across agriculture, forestry and fisheries. This unified perspective – valid across all agricultural sectors and taking into account social, economic and environmental considerations – ensures the effectiveness of action on the ground and is underpinned by knowledge based on the best available science, and adaptation at community and country levels to ensure local relevance and applicability.

Illustration of a meal tray in a school canteen.

Making sure that school meals follow nutrition guidance and are enjoyed by all students is not always an easy task, but a very important one. After all, not only are healthy diets crucial for children's development and wellbeing, but the enjoyment of food is part of the right to food too. FAO asked school foodservice staff around the world to share their top tips and recommendations on how they prepare nutritious meals while ensuring that they are tasty, enjoyed and appreciated by the students. Let's meet some of these hard-working, innovative people and learn from their experiences in the field.

A woman from Ecuador preparing a dish with several ingredients.

With these informative and easy-to-follow cookbooks, FAO presents recipes from around the world, neatly packaged with interesting facts, stunning illustrations and helpful tips from chefs. Let these books introduce you to a wide range of cultures, tastes and ingredients, produced on both land and in water. With new cooking techniques from celebrated chefs and hobby cooks, these cookbooks will help you impress your loved ones. So ditch your everyday food recipes and embark on an international culinary journey!

an abstract illustration of people engaged in an event

International days and weeks are occasions to educate the public on issues of concern, to mobilize political will and resources to address global problems, and to celebrate and reinforce achievements of humanity. The existence of international days predates the establishment of the United Nations, but the UN has embraced them as a powerful advocacy tool. We also mark other UN observances.