Meal

Healthy food is cooked on World Food Day

Carinthian food should be on the table - that creates jobs.(Bild: Uta Rojsek-Wiedergut)

Carinthian food is once again in the spotlight today, October 16th, World Food Day. The consumption of one percent of regional foodstuffs creates 300 jobs. Food waste is too high.

"According to a study by the Economic Research Institute, just one percent of regional food creates 300 additional jobs and a value added of around eight million euros," says Slow Food Coordinator Eckart Mandler: "Food from Carinthia is healthy and secures many new jobs."

However, local products are not only beneficial for the economy, but also for health and the environment. "I have been using regional food for 45 years. The shorter the distances, the better," says Ingrid Bachler, Slow Food chef and restaurateur. In addition, more and more Carinthians are noticing this trend and are turning to sustainable products from local agriculture because "the quality is just right here".

The Slow Food Initiative is also calling for less food waste. "A third of healthy food is thrown away worldwide. In Austria, 175,000 tons of avoidable food waste occurs in the hospitality industry," warns Mandler. But this also means money is thrown away: 320 million euros per year.