Andrea Segrè is Professor of International and Comparative Agricultural Policy at the University of Bologna, where his research focuses on circular and sustainable ecological economics. He is a leading scholar of the Mediterranean Diet as a model of sustainable eating, and has founded several projects, such as Spreco Zero (Zero Waste) and Last Minute Market with the goal of reducing and eliminating food waste. Professor Segrè serves as president of the FICO Foundation and the AgroFood Center in Bologna. His publications include Cibo (Il Mulino, 2015), L’oro nel piatto. Valore e valori nel piatto (Einaudi,2015), Mangia come sai. Cibo che nutre, cibo che consuma (EMI, 2017), and Il metodo spreco zero (Rizzoli, 2019).
In his lecture, Professor Segrè described the strong relationship between healthy eating and sustainable eating, as well as emphasized the importance of establishing and maintaining food rituals and communal food culture. He demonstrated that following a Mediterranean Diet of home-prepared meals rich in locally grown vegetables and fruits not only confers health benefits to the individual consumer, but can also be viewed as part of a greater environmental effort to reduce carbon emissions and water use.
This public presentation was conducted in English with welcoming remarks by Thomas Botzios, the Consul General of Italy in Chicago; Dr. Luca Di Vito, Director of the Italian Cultural Institute in Chicago; Dr. Laila Tentoni, President of Casa Artusi; and Professor Grazia Menechella of the University of Wisconsin-Madison. The event was co-sponsored by the Center for European Studies, the Department of French and Italian, the Food Studies Network at UW-Madison, and the Italian Cultural Institute in Chicago.
Professor Segrè’s lecture was one of several events in the 5th Annual Week of Italian Cuisine in the World 2020 at University of Wisconsin-Madison dedicated to Pellegrino Artusi (1820-1911) on the occasion of the Bicentennial Celebration of Artusi’s birth. Pellegrino Artusi was an Italian businessman and author of the cookbook, La scienza in cucina e l’arte di mangiar bene (Science in the Kitchen and the Art of Eating Well). Artusi’s cookbook has been continuously in print since its original publication in 1891, according to Goodreads.com, and remains beloved not only for its numerous delicious recipes, but also for its cultural significance.
Professor Andrea Segrè’s November 17th virtual lecture at the University of Wisconsin-Madison was promoted on the Italian news website Il Friuli the day before the event. To read the article in Il Friuli, follow this link, https://www.ilfriuli.it/articolo/gusto/il-modello-italiano-la-dieta-mediterranea-contro-gli-sprechi-alimentari/10/231290.
