Since 2016, the UNESCO, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the UN General Assembly work together 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. It acknowledges gastronomy as a cultural expression related to the natural and cultural diversity of the earth. As the COVID-19 pandemic is still unfolding across the globe, sustainable gastronomy i.e. through celebrating seasonal ingredients and producers, preserving wildlife as well as our culinary traditions is absolutely essential in the present times.
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.