There is scientific evidence acknowledging that the Mediterranean Diet is one of the most important diets and lifestyles for people and for planetary health. This is especially relevant in the current “Decade of Action” as outlined by the United Nations, specifically for urban areas, where the population is growing exponentially.
In 2022, the Municipality of Pollica, the Mediterranean Diet Study Center “Angelo Vassallo,” and the Future Food Institute, with the support of the Italian Ministry of Agriculture and with the participation of UNESCO representatives, together with the Permanent Mission of Morocco to the UN, organized an event at the UN Headquarters in New York to foster mutual actions to strengthen Mediterranean alliances and promote “Mediterranean Diet” has a strategic asset for sustainable development. In this context, the Permanent Secretariat of the UNESCO Emblematic Communities of the Mediterranean Diet was established, with the goal of coordinating activities to preserve and promote this intangible heritage.