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18/06/2026
Every choice we make at the table carries power: on 18 June, Sustainable Gastronomy Day reminds us that by choosing wisely, we can help shape healthier diets, protect our planet, and build a more food-secure future for all.
Gastronomy is far more than what we eat; it is a living expression of identity, memory, and nature. Sustainable gastronomy keeps this richness alive by protecting the resources, traditions, and biodiversity that allow future generations to inherit vibrant and resilient food cultures.
The theme of FAO and World Food Forum Sustainable Gastronomy Week 2026 is “Celebrating Food Heritage”, emphasising the importance of culinary traditions, local ingredients, and cultural knowledge in building sustainable agrifood systems.
With the theme of the Sustainable Gastronomy Week 2026 being “Celebrating Food Heritage,” FAO and the World Food Forum shine a light on the soul of our food traditions, those precious ingredients, skills, and stories passed from one generation to the next that can inspire a more sustainable future.
When communities safeguard their food heritage, they do more than preserve the past; they strengthen biodiversity, energize local economies, and build the resilience needed for agrifood systems to thrive in a changing world.
To celebrate this year’s occasion, the FAO Liaison Office in Brussels proudly spotlights its inspiring partnership with Worldchefs, the global voice of culinary professionals and opinion leader in food, that empowers chefs to become champions of sustainability. Through dedicated initiatives and the leadership of figures such as Chef Frank Fol in Belgium, this collaboration shows how culinary passion can help transform food systems, reduce waste, and nurture a more conscious food culture.
“Today, everyone has to take action to make our planet a better place. Working on sustainability can be done with little action: more plants in your food, less waste, using blue water to cook, grey water to clean, etc. Every small action makes a difference. Let’s do this together.”
Frank Fol – Founder & Chairman, We’re Smart World
Sustainable gastronomy is also rooted in traditional agrifood systems. Across Europe, many of these systems illustrate how heritage and sustainability go hand in hand. One such example is the carp pond farming system in the Waldviertel region of Lower Austria, recognized by FAO as a Globally Important Agricultural Heritage System (GIAHS). With a history spanning over 900 years, this system relies on low-impact practices to maintain biodiverse ecosystems while producing high-quality food, conserving water resources, sustaining local livelihoods, and preserving cultural knowledge and traditions.
Sustainable gastronomy draws its strength from ancestral agrifood systems that prove tradition and sustainability can flourish side by side. The carp pond farming system of Austria’s Waldviertel region, treasured for more than 900 years and recognized by FAO as a Globally Important Agricultural Heritage System (GIAHS), stands as a powerful example of how heritage can protect ecosystems, sustain communities, conserve water, and keep cultural wisdom alive.
By embracing seasonal produce, supporting local food traditions, and wasting less, each of us can help shape agrifood systems that are more inclusive, sustainable, and full of life, so that the richness of our food heritage continues to nourish both humanity and the planet for generations ahead.
Sustainable gastronomy is a heartfelt tribute to the roots of our food, celebrating the land that sustains us, the hands that cultivate and prepare it, and the remarkable journey that connects nature, culture, and every shared meal.
