Vatican City – International Conference on Food Values

In February, the Pontifical Academy of Sciences at the Vatican city hosted a conference to launch a debate on “Food Values” and the role and significance of the Mediterranean Diet. The aim of the conference was to show the importance of restoring food values through scientific data, for a renaissance of the original concepts of Mediterranean diet, particularly related to tradition, culture, history and sustainability.  The program consisted of three parts:

• Food and Health: the scientific example of the Mediterranean lifestyle, provided an opportunity to discuss the evidence that types and quality of food have a significant impact on health and wellbeing, with the Mediterranean dietary pattern as the most established example
• Food Traditions and Cultural Heritage – valuing the old in the modern world, considered the relationship between communities and food, including the value placed on food production and the role of food in traditional societies
• Food Values – the urgent need for a new approach, debated the place of food in our current world, and how a long term strategy can be ensured to create the availability of foods compatible with health and the environment.

Vatican Conference Examines a Renaissance of the Mediterranean Diet in the 21st Century