Brothers Behind El Celler De Can Roca, The World's Best Restaurant, Take On Food Security And Sustainable Development

Joan, Josep, and Jordi Roca — the three brothers behind El Celler de Can Roca, the reigning World's Best Restaurant, as voted by S. Pellegrino — have joined the United Nations Development Programme as official goodwill ambassadors, with the goal of establishing greater public support for the UNDP's Sustainable Development Goals.

As the first ambassadors to focus specifically on the UNDP's sustainability goals — in which world leaders have agreed to share responsibilities for significantly reducing hunger, inequality, climate change, and unemployment by the year 2030 — the Roca brothers will use their influence and expertise to advocate for greater food security and access to healthy food. Furthermore, the brothers will advise on environmentally and economically sound ways to improve the food and agricultural industries.

As part of their new roles, the Roca brothers will establish a network of training centers for small farmers and businesses that will focus on promoting sustainability, reducing waste, creating new jobs, and spreading gender equality. A pilot program is set to launch in Africa.

"Creating prosperity means securing a food chain that is environmentally sustainable, socially just, and economically inclusive," Joan Roca said in a statement. "We believe that there is a critical need for the world to focus on food, health, and environment. Food security and access to nutritious food intersects with other key areas like climate change, agricultural production, and labor.

"Food security means more than expanding harvests or yields — but also providing a chance for communities to gain new insight into how to protect their local crops and culinary traditions, all of which impact other areas. We as chefs can work with a new generation of partners to get our message across and provide knowledge that can be useful for larger communities. In terms of advocating for food greater food security and fighting malnutrition — this is also our responsibility."