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The Social Gastronomy Movement calls for urgent action with the Universal Plate, a global campaign with the goal of sharing millions of meals
Led by social entrepreneurs, chefs, and activists using food to co-create social change and act in solidarity against rising hunger, the campaign will mobilize people in over 70 countries to cook and serve local, nutritionally balanced meals to those who are in need. A total of three million free meals are expected to be shared between September 1 and October 16, 2022.
ZURICH, Switzerland, August 3, 2022 - On September 1, 2022, the Social Gastronomy Movement (SGM) will kick off its flagship Universal Plate Campaign with the mission of raising awareness of growing food insecurity, affecting an estimated 828 million people in 2021, and ring the alarm for the urgent need for food systems transformation in the face of the convergence of the ‘4Cs’: Covid, conflict, climate emergency, and rising costs around the world.
“The world is in a state of crisis, and each year the state of food security and equity in food systems becomes more strained. This year we have seen the growing consequences of the pandemic, conflict between nations, climate emergency, and skyrocketing food costs bringing to the surface the urgency of food systems transformation,” said Nicola Gryczka, CEO and Co-Founder of SGM. “This campaign shows the world that possibility emerges when we combine our knowledge, efforts, resources, and ambitions. It is a global demonstration of solidarity, collective action to show the world the power of sharing a meal to impact communities, break barriers, and change lives."
The SGM calls on chefs, local governments, non-profits, food banks, students, industry partners, global leaders, and media agencies to support campaign efforts. Anyone can take part, whether by coordinating a city-wide volunteer action or by cooking and sharing meals alongside a neighbor in need. Meals served through the campaign should be:
1)Made with locally-sourced ingredients
2)Nutritionally balanced
3)Free of charge
SGM encourages participants to share their activities on social media with the hashtag #UniversalPlate.
In the past two years, the campaign took place only on the weekend of World Food Day (October 16), and in just 96 hours of running time, the effort resulted in +960,000 meals shared. Countries that have already confirmed actions for 2022 include Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, France, Germany, Guatemala, India, Kenya, Mexico, Nepal, Peru, Spain, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, United States of America, and Zambia.
The campaign is the action arm of the SGM Summit 2022, an event combining local and global online and in-person activities. In addition to the campaign and local gatherings, SGM will convene the Universal Table, a free online generative dialogue bringing together a diversity of food systems voices to address how social gastronomy models for prioritizing social inclusion and sustainability can address the global food crisis.
Leading up to the Summit, SGM will host workshops to support those who want to learn more. In addition, the organization has published a series of campaign toolkits and promotional assets to be shared across the globe. All interested participants are encouraged to visit the website or reach out to contact@socialgastronomy.org.
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ABOUT SGM
The Social Gastronomy Movement is an interconnected global network of local communities that use the power of food to co-create social change. Since its founding in 2018, SGM has engaged more than 300 chefs, farmers, activists, educators, local communities, and industry leaders in 63 countries across five continents. The collective work of the Movement has been featured in the World Economic Forum, Forbes, Ted, and World’s 50 Best Restaurants.
For more information and media support, please contact:
Press Contact
Maya Mehta
+1 (410) 920 1205
Additional material can be found on SGM’s Promotion Toolkit