SLOW FOOD’S NEXT PRESIDENT TO BE ROBERTO BURDESE. CARLO PETRINI HEAD OF SLOW FOOD INTERNATIONAL

According to recent indiscretions, Roberto Burdese, currently vice president of Slow Food, is set to be the next president of the prospering organization. Carlo Petrini, the founder of the “snail” movement, will change roles and become head of Slow Food International, which in recent years has begun to organize events of global significance, primarily that of Terra Madre (26-30 October 2006, in Turin, held simultaneously with the Salone del Gusto exposition).
Petrini, who will be receiving an honorary degree from the United States, has at this point become the symbol of the Slow Food movement, a revolutionary leader who has made friendships with leading world figures in both politics and academics.
Today, the association counts over 82,000 members in over 100 countries around the world, organized into 800 “convivium” (territorial delegations). In Italy, there are 35,000 members and 360 “condotte” (what convivium are called here). In the rest of the world, there are 450 convivium and they continue to grow.