Food as an act of intergenerational justice

A dies academicus at the Piacenza-Cremona campus dedicated to nutrition, sealed by Carlo Cracco, who gave the opening address. According to the Rector of Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Elena Beccalli, "with the creativity of his dishes, he has helped to make Italian cuisine a global symbol."

The Rector's inaugural speech began with two assumptions related to the alliance between generations: "In an era marked by unprecedented demographic transition, the combination of nutrition and longevity represents a new frontier in human rights. Furthermore, ageing should not be understood as a process of subtraction, but rather as an extension of human dignity, which is also ensured by food choices. These two assumptions encompass the interdisciplinary universe at the heart of the activities of the Piacenza and Cremona campuses."

On the first front, "longevity means not only adding years to life, but life to years. This testifies to the link between nutrition, longevity and human rights". But the issue of proper nutrition also affects the younger generations. "In 2026, the global scenario describes a paradoxical reality: for the first time in history, the number of obese children and adolescents has exceeded that of underweight children and adolescents." This is "a political issue in the broadest sense, a social issue of the highest order."

Professor Beccalli has called for a shared commitment between institutions, communities and the world of research to take action. "I call on institutions to fully recognise clinical nutrition as a primary component of essential levels of care. On communities to rediscover the value of shared meals, a powerful antidote to loneliness, which in turn is one of the most insidious causes of malnutrition. Finally, on science, to continue innovating in the field of Food Technology without ever losing sight of the centrality of the pleasure of taste and the quality of the food experience." A concrete response is the creation of a new centre of excellence for research on longevity on the Cremona campus, launched with Bocconi University, with the support of the Fondazione Invernizzi.