Innovation, Health, and Global Impact

Naples hosted the first event in the biennial cycle promoted by Rural Hack and the World Food Forum Italy National Chapter of the FAO. At the Societing Lab of the San Giovanni a Teduccio campus of Federico II University, the seminar ‘Promoting the Mediterranean Diet in Italy and Worldwide: Opportunities and Challenges’ brought together researchers, institutions, and sector operators to reflect on the future of Mediterranean agri-food. The agreement, signed by Alex Giordano and Khalil Noran, designates Rural Hack as the reference point for Southern Italy within the Italian network of the World Food Forum. This step strengthens the presence of the South in the international dialogue on food systems and policies related to health, quality, and markets.

Health and Export: A Concrete Link

Thirty young researchers from different countries discussed the Mediterranean Diet as a lever for internationalization. ‘This presentation gave me the opportunity to highlight how health can become a strategic driver for internationalization,’ emphasized Amy Riolo, ambassador of Italian taste in the United States. ‘Scientific evidence, nutritional quality, and sustainability can become concrete levers to strengthen the global positioning of Italian and Mediterranean products, enabling progress in both health and economic fields.’ In a market increasingly attentive to the prevention of chronic diseases and supply chain transparency, the link between health and production quality becomes crucial.

The Mediterranean Diet was described as a set of agricultural practices, traditions, community relationships, and territorial identities. Not just nutrition, but an economic and social structure. The numbers confirm the phenomenon’s scale. In 2024, Campania’s agri-food exports exceeded 5.7 billion euros, marking a 111% increase compared to 2014. Campania ranks fifth among Italian regions for export value in the sector.

Institutions and Public Responsibility

In the final discussion, regional agriculture councilor Maria Carmela Serluca emphasized the role of institutions: ‘As institutions, we have the responsibility to support the heritage of the Mediterranean Diet. In this direction, it is important to understand how to use technologies to enhance the quality productions of our region. That’s why the dialogue among institutions, academia, businesses, and communities, like the one held today, is fundamental. Only through collaboration can we strengthen the value of the Mediterranean Diet not only as a nutritional model but also as a social and economic model.’

Alex Giordano highlighted the contradictions of the system: ‘The recent recognition of Italian cuisine as an intangible cultural heritage of humanity is undoubtedly a significant milestone, but also profoundly ambiguous. The data clearly show how this territorial wealth coexists with contradictory economic and social dynamics. This asymmetry signals a structural issue: the risk of strengthening ‘Made in Campania’ as a brand, without simultaneously reinforcing the ecological and social systems that make it possible. In this sense, the partnership between Rural Hack and the National Youth Chapter Italy of the World Food Forum’s Youth Initiative aims to be a space for action-research, where young researchers, territories, institutions, and international networks can experiment with new food grammars.’

The One Health Perspective

Khalil Noran recalled the integrated approach guiding the World Food Forum: ‘Our work is based on the belief that major contemporary challenges—food, health, environmental, and social—must be addressed from various perspectives. The One Health approach is an essential framework for understanding the complexity of food systems. Recognizing the interdependence between human health, animal health, and ecosystem health means shifting attention from emergency management to prevention. The Mediterranean Diet represents a cultural, social, and ecological system that connects territories, biodiversity, production practices, and community relationships. Promoting it means going beyond symbolic celebration and facing the transformations that threaten its existence, even in Mediterranean contexts. It is from this perspective that the partnership between the World Food Forum Italy Chapter and Rural Hack is situated. This strategic collaboration unites global vision and territorial experimentation, strengthening the role of the South and the Mediterranean as key spaces for innovation in food systems. Through such alliances, the World Food Forum Italy Chapter aims to contribute to building healthier, more sustainable, and more inclusive food systems, recognizing young people not only as recipients of policies but as central actors in their design and governance.’

The presence of Amy Riolo, author of twenty-one books and awarded the title of Knight of the Order of the Star of Italy, gave the initiative international resonance. The series of meetings launched in Naples aims to connect research, territories, and markets, placing the Mediterranean Diet at the crossroads of public health and economic development. At stake is not only export, but the solidity of the systems that make it possible.