FOOD FOR HEALTH, FOOD FOR EARTH

Hosted by NYU’s Department of Nutrition and Food Studies and co-hosted by Future Food Institute, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), and the Mediterranean Diet Study Center of Pollica, this high-level gathering will explore the Mediterranean Diet as a powerful framework connecting public health, climate action, cultural heritage, and sustainable food systems.

Far more than a dietary model, the Mediterranean Diet is a living system of knowledge, practices, relationships, and values that can improve human health while strengthening ecological resilience and community well-being.

The event will bring together leading voices from academia, international institutions, science, policy, and civil society to examine how this internationally recognized heritage can help address some of today’s most urgent challenges—from diet-related diseases and unequal access to healthy diets to climate change, biodiversity loss, and the transformation of global agrifood systems.

FAO will contribute key insights from The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World (SOFI) and its Global Roadmap for agrifood systems transformation, placing the Mediterranean Diet within the broader international agenda for food security, nutrition, climate action, and sustainable development.

The conversation will also revisit the legacy of Ancel Keys, whose pioneering research in Pollica and across the Mediterranean brought global attention to the relationship between food, lifestyle, longevity, and health.

Looking toward the future, the event will explore how the Mediterranean Diet can serve not only as a model for public and planetary health, but also as a powerful instrument of cultural diplomacy, international cooperation, and regenerative territorial development.

NYU Department of Nutrition and Food Studies - A leading academic department advancing interdisciplinary research and education at the intersection of food, nutrition, culture, public health, policy, and sustainability.

Future Food Institute - An international ecosystem working at the intersection of food innovation, education, integral ecology, and sustainable development. Through its Living Labs, educational programs, and international network, the Institute translates global challenges into regenerative action.

Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations – FAO - The United Nations specialized agency leading international efforts to defeat hunger, improve nutrition, strengthen food security, and accelerate the sustainable transformation of agrifood systems.

Mediterranean Diet Study Center of Pollica - Permanent Secretariat of the Network of UNESCO Emblematic Communities of the Mediterranean Diet - Based in Pollica—the Italian UNESCO Emblematic Community of the Mediterranean Diet—the Center coordinates the international Network of Emblematic Communities and advances research, education, heritage safeguarding, and international cooperation. It promotes the Mediterranean Diet as a living model for longevity, public health, cultural diplomacy, territorial regeneration, and sustainable development.