Pedro Graça
A contemporary and political vision of food

Pedro Graça, professor of ‘’Food Policy’’ at the University of Porto, Portugal, and expert of the Mediterranean Diet, presents us a political vision of food. Critically observing our today’s society, he invites us to reflect on what it really means to defend the Mediterranean Diet.

By referring to the economic- political dynamics that consumers often ignore, he reflects on the world that exists behind supermarket shelves, made up of policies and workers’ rights, but also on environmental consequences of food production. He remembers us that the defense of the Mediterranean Diet starts from the awareness of individual citizens about the impact, not only social but also environmental, of their food choices and underlines the importance of the participation by institutions and industries in the process of preservation of this lifestyle. In addition to this, Graça also considers other issues that often go unnoticed and which he invites us to reflect on: the working timetable of our society, incompatible with a healthy diet; gender differences, food education and the importance of ‘’setting a good example’’ ; food preservation in selling machines that focuses our attention on the abuse of salt and sugar. To all of these themes he offers both
illuminating and simple solutions, indicating them as factors that influence our lifestyle.

Moreover, he also tells us about the flavors of Portugal and his personal and unexpected food of memory, linked to the surprise and the need. By changing our point of view, Pedro Graça offers a different reflection on the Mediterranean Diet, a lifestyle and a way of thinking about food, developed over thousands of years, which is a heritage of humanity that requires the participation of all the citizens of the world to be defended.