Also this year, in the Colombian town of Sutamarchánthousands of people poured through the streets to participate in the Gran Tomatinathe famous battle of tomatoes now in its fifteenth edition. An event inspired by the best known The upper by Buñol, Spain, which has transformed a moment of local folklore into an international event with a bitter taste for those who look at global emergencies with more critical eyes.
According to the organizers, beyond 45 tons of tomatoes they were launched during the event. It is, as is often punctured, of Tomatoes too ripe or considered unsuitable for consumption. However, even the so -called “food waste” still remains potentially useful foodespecially in a world where millions of people suffer from hunger or malnutrition. Use these resources for a symbolic battle may appear as one celebration of the poverty of othershidden under a patina of folklore and joy.
Normalizes food waste in the name of the show
Mayor Miguel Andrés Rodríguez said that “between the 70 and 80% of families of Sutamarchán lives thanks to the production of tomatoes”, Underlining how the event wants to be a tribute to this agricultural economy. But it would no longer be sensible to invest these resources in food educationsolidarity supply chains or social impact initiatives? Celebrate the fruit of one’s work throw it on the ground It seems a contradiction with the very sense of dignity of agricultural work.
Even if the festival managed to Re -launch tourism local, attracting visitors from all over the world, the price paid in terms of Image and Sustainability It is high. The enthusiasm for the “instagrammable” aesthetic of red roads and bodies covered with pulp cannot and must not delete a wider reflection: it is right normalize food waste In the name of the show?
In an era in which climate change and food insecurity are themes on the agenda, events such as Gran Tomatina risk appearing more and more out of time. Whether it’s Spain or Colombia, perhaps the time has come to reconsider certain “traditions” and ask us if they don’t exist more ethical and intelligent ways To celebrate what the earth offers us.
