{"id":79658,"date":"2026-04-17T00:04:52","date_gmt":"2026-04-17T00:04:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/english.saigonbiz.com\/vn\/as-food-traditions-vanish-world-food-travel-association-launches-world-culinary-heritage-day-to-help-preserve-endangered-culinary-traditions\/"},"modified":"2026-04-17T00:04:52","modified_gmt":"2026-04-17T00:04:52","slug":"as-food-traditions-vanish-world-food-travel-association-launches-world-culinary-heritage-day-to-help-preserve-endangered-culinary-traditions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/english.saigonbiz.com\/vn\/as-food-traditions-vanish-world-food-travel-association-launches-world-culinary-heritage-day-to-help-preserve-endangered-culinary-traditions\/","title":{"rendered":"As Food Traditions Vanish, World Food Travel Association Launches World Culinary Heritage Day to Help Preserve Endangered Culinary Traditions"},"content":{"rendered":"
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New annual observance on April 18 calls on communities and destinations worldwide to recognize the people and practices keeping endangered food traditions alive.<\/i><\/p>\n

LONDON<\/span>, April 17, 2026<\/span> \/PRNewswire\/ — With globalization, industrial standardization, and shifting consumer habits placing traditional foodways under mounting pressure, the World Food Travel Association (WFTA) today launched World Culinary Heritage Day \u2014 an annual global observance, held each April 18, dedicated to celebrating and safeguarding the food traditions that define communities, identities, and destinations worldwide. The observance evolves from World Food Travel Day, which the WFTA has organized for eight years. The rebrand reflects a broader mission and greater global appeal \u2014 shifting the focus from culinary travel to culinary heritage itself \u2014 while making the day more immediately understood by communities, media, and policymakers worldwide.<\/p>\n

From family recipes and artisanal production methods to regional ingredients and time-honored cooking techniques, culinary heritage is one of the most accessible and meaningful expressions of culture \u2014 yet it is disappearing. Based on a comparative review of 29 countries, the WFTA estimates that approximately 13% of traditional culinary practices have disappeared or are at extreme risk \u2014 losses that are accelerating. The people who preserve these traditions \u2014 farmers, fishers, producers, cooks, and local communities \u2014 too often remain invisible.<\/p>\n

“Culinary heritage is not simply about what is on the plate \u2014 it is about the grandmother whose recipe has been passed down for generations, the farmer cultivating a near-forgotten grain, the fishing community whose techniques predate written history,” said Erik Wolf, Executive Director of the World Food Travel Association. “These traditions are disappearing faster than we can document them. World Culinary Heritage Day is a global call to recognize their value before it is too late.”<\/i><\/p>\n

Anyone, anywhere can take part \u2014 from home cooks and chefs to tourism boards, educators, and cultural organizations:<\/p>\n

How to Participate<\/b><\/p>\n