World Gastronomy Summit 2025: Barcelona hosts the first edition of a historic milestone for global gastronomy.
At THE SUN PLACES we want you to experience gastronomic excellence in our destinations with the same level of luxury and comfort we offer in our accommodation. That's why we invite you to discover everything you need to know about this historic summit and how to enjoy Catalonia from our luxury apartments in Barcelona and the Costa Brava.
📅 What is the World Gastronomy Summit 2025?
The World Gastronomy Summit 2025 is a pioneering initiative of IGCAT born with the mission of positioning gastronomy as a key driver for sustainable regional development. Its first edition, held in 2025, has laid the foundations for a global movement that seeks to integrate gastronomy into international political and cultural agendas.
The motto of this first summit was "Food is culture, heritage and identity", a theme that reflects the ambition to place gastronomy at the centre of the debate on cultural policies, sustainability and community well-being.
📍Where and when was the World Gastronomy Summit 2025 held?
The World Gastronomy Summit 2025 took place on 27 September 2025 in a luxurious setting: the Pedralbes Palace in Barcelona, one of the most emblematic buildings in the Catalan capital.
The summit was held as an official side event of the UNESCO World Conference on Cultural Policies and Sustainable Development (MONDIACULT 2025), which will take place in Barcelona from 29 September to 1 October 2025. This coincidence is no accident: the World Gastronomy Summit 2025 serves as a preparatory platform to bring the demands of the gastronomic sector to the great world cultural event.
👥Who participated in the World Gastronomy Summit 2025?
The summit brought together more than 160 experts and institutional representatives from more than 40 gastronomic regions around the world, from Asia, Africa, America, Pacific, Oceania, Middle East and Europe.
Among the participants were:
- International organisations: UNESCO, Slow Food, Crop Trust, Future Food Institute, The Food Capitals by Délice Network, Creative Tourism Network.
- Catalan institutions: Government of Catalonia, Fundación Alícia, El Bulli Foundation, Catalan Academy of Gastronomy.
- Chefs and young promises: Martina Puigvert Puigdevall, from the Les Cols restaurant, represented the new generation of Catalan chefs.
- International representatives: delegations from regions such as Aseer (Saudi Arabia), Manabí (Ecuador), Vanuatu, Cap Bon (Tunisia) and Thailand.
🏛️Who organises the World Gastronomy Summit 2025?
The summit is organised by the International Institute of Gastronomy, Culture, Arts and Tourism (IGCAT), a non-profit organisation founded in 2012 that works with experts from around the world to promote sustainable food systems, protect cultural diversity and enhance the value of gastronomy in cultural and tourism development.
IGCAT is the official organisation that awards the World Region of Gastronomy 2025 prize and works closely with UNESCO and the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), as well as many other international networks that share its mission.
The first edition was hosted by the Government of Catalonia, which acted as host during its year as World Region of Gastronomy 2025.
💡What is valued and what is the objective of the World Gastronomy Summit 2025?
The World Gastronomy Summit 2025 was born with several fundamental objectives:
- Foster dialogue and collaboration between sectors and regions to address the urgent challenges facing gastronomy in the 21st century.
- Support food sovereignty, empowering communities to regain control over their food systems.
- Celebrate the cultural and social value of food, recognising it as an essential element of our collective identity.
- Position gastronomy as a driver of sustainable regional development, integrating it into cultural, agricultural, tourism and educational policies.
The World Gastronomy Summit 2025 seeks to elevate gastronomy within international cultural policy frameworks, with the ambition that food be recognised not only as sustenance, but as culture, heritage and identity.
📜 The World Declaration: a milestone for gastronomy
The culmination of the summit was the adoption of the World Gastronomy Summit Declaration on Food at the Heart of Cultural Policy and Community Well-being, a consensus document that represents a unifying call to action.
The declaration, which had already been approved by IGCAT members at its Annual General Assembly on 10 June 2025, calls on governments, international organisations, regional bodies and civil society to:
- Support local and regional initiatives that promote sustainable food systems rooted in evolving cultural traditions.
- Empower youth and communities to preserve and innovate their gastronomic heritage with pride.
- Promote research and storytelling that documents and celebrates global food traditions.
- Promote inclusive dialogue connecting cultures and generations through the shared language of food.
The declaration will be formally delivered to the MONDIACULT 2025 Conference on 29 September by the president and vice-president of IGCAT, ensuring that gastronomy has a voice in the global debate on culture, sustainability and community well-being.
The Catalan Minister for Business and Labour, Miquel Sàmper, committed to taking the declaration to MONDIACULT, highlighting that "Catalonia is making a major commitment to Catalan gastronomy, one of our main cultural and economic assets".
🌍 The sessions: a global debate on the future of gastronomy
The summit was structured around two main plenary sessions and an innovative collective participation format.
Plenary 1: "Food at the heart of culture: a new paradigm for policy and practice"
- This session, moderated by the vice-president of IGCAT, explored the transformative potential of placing food at the centre of cultural, social and environmental agendas. Inspired by the Catalan Food Strategy 2025-2028, the debate presented case studies from regions such as Catalonia, Saudi Arabia, Ecuador, Vanuatu, Tunisia and Thailand, illustrating how gastronomy can drive innovation, preserve traditions and empower communities.
Plenary 2: "The cultural value of food: shaping future policies"
- Moderated by Omar Valdez, a member of the IGCAT board, this session examined how culinary heritage, biodiversity and food education can contribute to cultural identity, community well-being and sustainability. Inspired by the Catalan Gastronomic and Wine Tourism Plan 2022-2027, topics addressed included the preservation of intangible cultural heritage, the integration of food into European cultural programmes, and the importance of protecting biodiversity and traditional seeds.
World Café: Imagining the future of food in 2050
One of the most innovative moments of the summit was the World Café, which brought together 160 experts at 16 thematic round tables to imagine utopian and dystopian scenarios for the future of food in 2050.
Participants developed ideas, best practices and policy solutions that IGCAT has committed to compiling in a comprehensive report to share all proposals that can help protect and promote culinary diversity for future generations.
🏆 The handover: Manabí, World Region of Gastronomy 2026
The summit concluded with an emotional symbolic act: the handover from Catalonia to Manabí (Ecuador), which will be the World Region of Gastronomy 2026.
🍷What does the World Gastronomy Summit 2025 represent for Barcelona and Catalonia?
For Catalonia, hosting the first World Gastronomy Summit 2025 has been a recognition of its leadership in integrating agriculture, tourism, education and culture to build more sustainable and territorially rooted food systems.
The summit has strengthened Catalonia's position as an international benchmark in gastronomy and agri-food, projecting its food and cultural identity to the world.
🏡 Experience the World Gastronomy Summit 2025 with THE SUN PLACES
At THE SUN PLACES we want you to experience the gastronomic excellence of Catalonia with the same level of luxury and comfort we offer in our accommodation.
We offer you:
- Personalised advice to help you with reservations at the most exclusive restaurants in Catalonia.
- Connection with the territory: We can recommend wine tourism experiences at the best wineries in Penedès, Priorat or Montsant.
👉 Contact us and book your accommodation with THE SUN PLACES and discover why Catalonia is the first region to host the World Gastronomy Summit 2025, a territory where flavour, history and innovation come together in every bite. 🍷✨