The Municipality of Pollica Takes Center Stage in New York: From Emblematic Community to Lead of the International Secretariat

NEW YORK, Dec. 5, 2025 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- The negotiations on the resolution establishing 16 November as the International Mediterranean Diet Day have officially concluded. The resolution will now be submitted for formal adoption by the United Nations General Assembly.

The announcement was made by Ambassador Maurizio Massari, Permanent Representative of Italy to the United Nations, during the event hosted at UN Headquarters by Italy in partnership with Lebanon and Morocco, titled: "Mediterranean Diet: Science, Sustainability, and Cultural Heritage."

In his opening speech, Ambassador Massari emphasized: "Scientific and academic research has widely demonstrated that the Mediterranean Diet is a healthy lifestyle promoting health, well-being, and resilience, while reflecting the cultural and identity values of the territories it stems from. This is why the establishment of an International Mediterranean Diet Day resonates far beyond the Mediterranean region—highlighting the role of traditional diets, local products, and ancestral cultures in shaping not only food systems but sustainable development itself, and therefore, the future of societies."

The event, moderated by Sara Roversi (Future Food Institute), featured the participation of senior representatives from FAO and UNESCO, as well as prominent academics such as Antonia Trichopoulou—celebrated as the "scientific mother of the Mediterranean Diet" for her more than sixty years of pioneering research and recently appointed by the Municipality of Pollica as Ambassador of the Mediterranean Diet to the World—together with Loredana Quadro and Harini Sampath.

Also in attendance were representatives of the Emblematic Communities of the Mediterranean Diet: Agros (Cyprus), Brač (Croatia), Koroni (Greece), Pollica – Cilento (Italy), Chefchaouen (Morocco), Tavira (Portugal), and Soria (Spain). Representing not only Italy but the very soul of this heritage, Stefano Pisani, Mayor of Pollica, addressed the assembly as both representative of the Italian emblematic community and Coordinator of the Permanent Secretariat of the Emblematic Communities.

Just days prior, the Municipality of Pollica had concluded record-breaking celebrations for the 15th anniversary of the Mediterranean Diet's inscription on UNESCO's Representative List, with events spanning Pollica, Pioppi, and Acciaroli, including scientific forums, cultural programs, and a symbolic community banquet that gathered over 700 people around a single table.

Pollica reaffirms its historic and strategic role in preserving and promoting this living heritage. It is here that Ancel Keys chose to live and conduct his seminal research, learning directly from the community's daily life the values and principles that underpin the Mediterranean Diet. In Pioppi, a village of Pollica, the world's first Living Museum of the Mediterranean Diet was established in 1998, thanks to the vision of then-Mayor Angelo Vassallo, a pioneer in promoting Mediterranean culture.

Over the past 15 years, Pollica has worked actively to protect and transmit this heritage, promoting the Mediterranean Diet as a model for sustainable development, in partnership with scientists, universities, and international organizations. Through the Centro Studi "Angelo Vassallo", the municipality has become a true territorial laboratory for cultural and scientific innovation.

In 2022, the Emblematic Communities unanimously entrusted Pollica with coordinating the Permanent Secretariat, tasked with overseeing safeguarding efforts, enhancement initiatives, and the intergenerational transmission of the Mediterranean Diet.

In his address at the UN, Mayor Stefano Pisani declared: "The Mediterranean Diet is much more than a dietary model: it is an innovative vision focused on public health, a philosophy of life rooted in the principles of integral ecological development, and a concrete model of sustainability. This heritage lives every day in our communities, in the fields, in the markets, in our kitchens, and on our tables. The foundational work begun by UNESCO with its recognition of the Diet now gains further strength thanks to FAO's support for our proposal to establish the International Day—a vital resolution that turns this legacy into a strategic lever for the food systems of the future."

Through this renewed international recognition, Pollica consolidates its leadership role in the global governance of the UNESCO heritage of the Mediterranean Diet, becoming a symbol and voice of a food culture that unites health, sustainability, and identity.

Media Contact

Marissa Dunn, Peppercomm for FFI, 1 256.337.6992, marissa.dunn@peppercomm.com

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