Towards a voluntary code of conduct for the sustainability of the Mediterranean diet
8-9 October 2026 , Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain
The CIHEAM participated in a high-level meeting dedicated to developing the Las Palmas de Gran Canaria 2026 Decalogue , a call to joint action aimed at accelerating the transformation of sustainable food systems, placing the Mediterranean diet and local territories at the heart of the solutions. Organized jointly by the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, CIHEAM, and the Federation of European Nutrition Societies (FENS), in collaboration with the Forum on Mediterranean Food Cultures, this meeting was held under the auspices of the SFS-MED platform , supported by the FAO, CIHEAM, the Union for the Mediterranean, and the PRIMA Foundation.
Ten priority actions for the sustainability of the Mediterranean diet
In his opening address, Teodoro Miano, Secretary General of CIHEAM, emphasized the importance of an integrated approach, rooted in local realities and based on scientific and institutional cooperation. In this respect, the Mediterranean diet is much more than a nutritional model: it represents a living heritage and a lever for transforming food systems, connecting producers, consumers, and local communities.
The work was structured around ten action priorities, including the economic accessibility of healthy food, the preservation of water and biodiversity, sustainable fisheries, the promotion of food crops, the links between rural and urban areas, as well as training, research and innovation.
As part of a scientific cooperation that has been underway for more than twenty years, notably through the Rome Call of 2005 and the Milan Expo in 2015, this initiative aims to lay the foundations for a voluntary code of conduct for the sustainability of the Mediterranean diet , considered as a territorial model of healthy and sustainable eating.
The work in Las Palmas constitutes a first step in a process that will continue on November 16, 2026 in Rome, at a high-level meeting organized on the sidelines of the 13th CIHEAM Ministerial Meeting, during the International Day of the Mediterranean Diet.