International Day of the Mediterranean Diet Date in the current year: November 16, 2026

The term “Mediterranean diet” was first introduced by American physiologist Ancel Keys and his wife, Margaret, in 1975. In the 1940s, Keys discovered that southern Italy had the world’s highest concentration of centenarians and hypothesized that their eating habits contributed to their longevity. This prompted his famous Seven Countries Study, which examined the relationship between lifestyle, diet, and cardiovascular health, and provided evidence supporting his hypothesis about the link between dietary fat and heart disease.

The Mediterranean diet is generally associated with the traditional foods and eating habits of Italy, Greece, and the Mediterranean coasts of Spain and France. It is high in plant-based foods (fruits, vegetables, legumes, unprocessed cereals, olive oil), moderate in dairy products and fish, and low in sugar, refined grains, red meat, and animal fat. It also involves low to moderate alcohol consumption, primarily red wine.

Unlike useless and potentially harmful fad diets, the Mediterranean diet has clinically proven health benefits due to being low in saturated fat and rich in unsaturated fats and dietary fiber. In fact, it is the most well-researched dietary pattern in the world. Studies have shown that the Mediterranean diet lowers the risk of heart disease and may help obese individuals lose weight.

In 2010, UNESCO added the Mediterranean diet to its Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, recognizing it as shared heritage of Greece, Italy, Morocco, and Spain. Three years later, Croatia, Cyprus, and Portugal were added to the list. In this context, the term “Mediterranean diet” encompasses traditional foods and eating habits as well as associated cultural practices such as cooking methods, communal meals, and midday post-meal naps.

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) initiated the celebration of the International Day of the Mediterranean Diet. The initiative was approved at the 44th session of the FAO Conference in the summer of 2025. Italy then presented the resolution for the adoption of the International Day of the Mediterranean Diet at the UN General Assembly. The resolution was co-sponsored by other nations: Armenia, Croatia, Cyprus, France, Greece, Lebanon, Malta, Montenegro, Morocco, Portugal, San Marino, Spain, and Tunisia.

The International Day of the Mediterranean Diet aims to raise awareness about the importance of healthy, regionally based diets for achieving better nutrition, food security, and sustainable development goals. The Mediterranean diet and other regional diets are more than just dietary concepts. They are social institutions deeply rooted in local climate, geography, economy, and traditions, and their preservation contributes to public health, as well as agricultural and environmental sustainability.