2022 PRESS RELEASE
12 SEPTEMBER

#REGENERACTION FOR FOOD FOR CHANGE 2022:
RELAIS & CHATEAUX AND SLOW FOOD SUPPORT REGENERATIVE FARMING 
TO RESTORE OUR ECOSYSTEMS AND FIGHT AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE 

• Relais & Châteaux and Slow Food join forces for the sixth consecutive year, emphasizing the restoration of traditional agricultural techniques from October 20th-23rd
• Relais & Châteaux chefs nominated over 100 products to Slow Food’s Ark of Taste
• Three Relais & Châteaux speakers will participate to panels at Terra Madre Salone del Gusto (Turin, Italy, September 22nd-26th)

Relais & Châteaux, the global association of 580 independently owned hotels and restaurants, is promoting regenerative farming practices among its members and their wider communities, in support of the joint annual Food for Change campaign.

Regenerative agriculture creates naturally fertile land, reduces greenhouse gas emissions and increases carbon sequestration. Relais & Châteaux is seeking to demonstrate that adopting regenerative principles, even in smaller community settings, can maximize their positive effects.

For Olivier Roellinger, Vice President of Relais & Châteaux, “Relais & Chateaux chefs are guardians of biodiversity, acting as stewards of nature's beauty, which in turn creates resiliency in our food system. Prioritizing soil health results in carbon drawdown and improved water cycles. This is regeneration. This is the future of gastronomy.”

The approach is seen by food and climate experts as essential in the fight against climate change, providing a crucial plank in the journey towards carbon neutrality and beyond to net zero. It can help restore ecosystems to a natural equilibrium, and increase the productivity of the land, and the animal life it supports. 

Edward Mukiibi, President of Slow Food, underlines: “Regenerative practices have the power to transform our food systems, restore the integrity of the land, feed our communities and slow climate change. The solution to the crisis cannot be the same for every continent, territory and latitude: this is the approach of the multinationals that leads to the destruction of biodiversity and the loss of food traditions. Instead, the right approach is differentiated and comes from below, from the experience of local producers and the activation of citizens in adopting environmentally friendly choices and behaviour. Everyone can get involved and make a difference. This is what Slow Food means for RegenerAction.” (See accompanying Q&A for full details).

In addition, Relais & Châteaux has now successfully nominated more than 100 products to Slow Food’s Ark of Taste, a catalogue of 5700 near-extinct foods in an effort to save biodiversity and culinary heritage. 

GLOBAL FOOD FOR CHANGE CAMPAIGN “RegenerAction” 

Through Food for Change, Relais & Châteaux and Slow Food hope to inspire people around the world to be more mindful about our food system, which is responsible for 30% of greenhouse gas emissions. Relais & Châteaux members are well placed to implement regenerative practices. Many properties cultivate their own gardens, often with heritage, endangered or unusual species that may die out if they are not grown for food. As well as growing fruit and vegetables, many also maintain orchards or vineyards and keep animals including bees, sheep, pigs and cows. 

Hundreds of Relais & Châteaux properties around the world are expected to showcase their own regenerative practices – including how the approach impacts what they serve in their restaurants, by hosting special dinners and cooking classes to ensure the message gets through to guests and diners.

ARK OF TASTE NOMINATIONS

Furthermore, Relais & Châteaux has now successfully nominated more than 100 products to Slow Food’s Ark of Taste to save near-extinct foods. Created in 1996, Slow Food’s Ark of Taste is an online catalogue of over 5700 foods (plant varieties, animal breeds and traditional processed products such as cheeses, cured meats, breads, sweets, etc.) from small-scale quality production from all four corners of the world. 

The Ark of Taste is an authority on biodiversity charting edible history, and it creates an invaluable connection between small producers, chefs, academics, consumers and policymakers. As an international reference, it preserves culinary heritage and biodiversity for the future of our food systems. The nominations must undergo a strict evaluation process through 20 technical national committees, Slow Food’s Content and Projects Hub and the University of Gastronomic Sciences in Pollenzo before being approved to the Ark of Taste. 

The full list of the Relais & Châteaux products can be found on Slow Food Foundation’s Ark of Taste digital database: https://www.fondazioneslowfood.com/en/what-we-do/the-ark-of-taste/food-for-change-relais-chateaux-chefs-for-the-ark-of-taste/ 

#FoodForChange
#RegenerAction
#TerraMadre2022

About Relais & Châteaux
Established in 1954, Relais & Châteaux is an association of more than 580 landmark hotels and restaurants operated by independent innkeepers, chefs and owners who share a passion for their businesses and a desire for authenticity in their relationships with their clientele.

Relais & Châteaux is established around the globe, from the Napa Valley vineyards and French Provence to the beaches of the Indian Ocean. It offers an introduction to a lifestyle inspired by local culture and a unique dip into human history. Relais & Châteaux members have a driving desire to protect and promote the richness and diversity of the world’s cuisine and traditions of hospitality. They are committed to preserving local heritage and the environment, as encompassed in the charter presented to UNESCO in November 2014.

www.relaischateaux.com @relaischateaux #relaischateaux #deliciousjourneys
 
About Slow Food
Slow Food is a worldwide network of local communities founded in 1989 in order to counteract the disappearance of local food traditions and the spread of fast food culture. Since then, Slow Food has grown to become a global movement that involves millions of people in more than 160 countries and works so that we can all have access to good, clean and fair food.
www.slowfood.com