Sustainable Food

The Torribera Mediterranean Center (TMC), a joint project undertaken by the University of Barcelona and The Culinary Institute of America, has unveiled the programme for the fifth edition of its annual international conference, Tomorrow Tastes Mediterranean, a space for chefs, researchers, academics and professionals from the catering, tourism and nutrition sectors to come together and share their knowledge and experience of developing healthy, sustainable menus.

For TMC executive co-director Santi Más de Xaxàs, “what makes these conferences so valuable is that they make it possible for many different sectors to work together, and above all it’s a highly practical event that attendees can come away from with concrete ideas on how to advance towards a common goal: eating better, and eating more sustainably. That’s why we believe that chefs must be at the heart of the debate, because if the menu isn’t delicious and full of flavour, there will be no change, and no evolution that will help us respond to the urgent global challenges in terms of personal and environmental health either today or in the future”.

40 internationally renowned speakers

A dozen sessions, workshops and showcooking events make up this year’s programme, in which around 40 experts and opinion leaders from the fields of science, gastronomy, catering and communication from universities, restaurants, the world of technology, food and nutrition companies from all over the globe will be taking part.

Speakers include professors Cuilin Zhang and Ramon Estruch, Greek chef Manolis Papoutsakis and Catalan cook Maria Nicolau, the influential Chloé Sucreé and Marc Zornes, CEO and co-founder of Winnow.

At the heart of the debate: extra virgin olive oil and fish

New studies by leading nutrition and health scientists, examples of sustainable diets from different parts of the world, the trend towards a Mediterranean diet based on vegetables, the challenges facing the various gastronomy sectors when it comes to spreading the word about healthy eating patterns, food sovereignty and tools to help avoid food waste are some of the main themes of an international conference that this year aims to pay special attention to the culinary potential of extra virgin olive oil, plus strategies to promote the sustainable and healthy use of fish on our menus.

An edition with greater capacity

The conference will take place in the auditorium at the University of Barcelona’s Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences (Monday 14 October), in a considerably larger space than in previous years, given the success of the 2023 edition in terms of attendance. It will also be possible to follow the whole thing online. The kitchens at the Barcelona Culinary Hub (Tuesday 15 October) will be the venue for the gastronomic workshops and showcooking sessions presented by the various guest chefs on the second day.

Tomorrow Tastes Mediterranean is a unrivalled opportunity for professionals from the catering, tourism, hospitality, health, and science sectors, as well as for representatives of social and political entities who want to transform personal and collective health through diet.