Rome – The United Nations General Assembly’s decision to make 16 November the annual International Day of the Mediterranean Diet is a welcome initiative to help foster awareness and appreciation of the importance of healthy diets, sustainability and territorial traditions in achieving food security and better nutrition, the core mandate of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO).
FAO will have the lead role in supporting efforts to celebrate the International Day, which was considered by the General Assembly after the approval of the proposal at the 44th session of the FAO Conference earlier this year.
The General Assembly’s resolution was presented by Italy on behalf of a core group of Mediterranean countries that were the main sponsors of the resolution (Armenia, Croatia, Cyprus, France, Greece, Italy, Lebanon, Malta, Montenegro, Morocco, Portugal, San Marino, Spain and Tunisia) and crafted to contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
For FAO, the recognition is an opportunity to emphasize how territorial diets – rooted in history, local economies and long-term climate and environmental resources and limits – can potentially offer benefits for human health and sustainability, as well as opportunities to tackle challenges such as excess food loss and waste and the growing problem of obesity.
Aligned with FAO’s mandate, actions and plans for the International Day of the Mediterranean Diet will celebrate the diversity of healthy dietary patterns globally, rooted in local traditions. The maintenance of such diets is supported by FAO’s work with countries, providing technical assistance, promoting international cooperation and raising awareness about the importance of diversified food production – from plants to livestock and fisheries – to enable access to and consumption of healthy diets for all.
FAO has a long-term collaboration with its host country Italy to preserve and protect the Mediterranean diet around its native region.
What it is, why it matters, and threats to its existence
The protective health benefits of the Mediterranean diet have been well-known for decades following the ground-breaking research of Ancel Keys in the 1960s, when he documented its protective effects against coronary heart disease. It is also correlated with lower incidence of diabetes, certain cancers and depression.
More than a decade ago, UNESCO recognized the Mediterranean diet as an intangible cultural heritage, underscoring its cultural, nutritional, and social importance.
While the Mediterranean diet has many regional variations, the core principles are the same: it emphasizes use of fresh fruits and vegetables prioritizes whole grains, nuts, legumes and olive oil; includes moderate consumption of seafood, poultry, dairy, meat and eggs, and limits sweets.
FAO is developing SABIR, a knowledge hub to gather key resources on the Mediterranean dietary patterns and the benefits of following the principles of such dietary patterns for nutrition, health and the environment.
Ample evidence shows that this heritage is eroding, due to globalization, urbanization and new consumption patterns and lifestyles. Today, many of the countries in the Mediterranean region are also facing higher-than-average rates of child and adult overweight and obesity.
At the heart of the Mediterranean diet – and many other territorial diets – is a social institution, involving a set of skills, knowledge, rituals, symbols and traditions related to growing and harvesting crops, fishing, animal husbandry, conservation, processing, cooking and in particular the convivial sharing and consumption of food. It is supported by a holistic sociology in which hospitality, intercultural dialogue and ways of life are guided by respect for diversity. The strong role of fresh ingredients requires more frequent and small-scale interactions, both informal and market-based, which bind the institution to shorter supply chains.
Through the creation of the International Day – FAO hopes to raise greater awareness, investment, and action to conserve healthy dietary patterns and the social and production-level traditions that enable and underpin them all.
