Carlo Petrini, the journalist who founded the Slow Food movement in protest against the arrival of the first McDonald’s in Italy, has died aged 76.

Petrini, who had been diagnosed with prostrate cancer in recent years, died in his home town of Bra in northern Italy’s Piedmont region. He had led Slow Food, which since 1986 has campaigned against fast-food culture by promoting sustainability and local cuisine, as president until 2022.

A statement from the Slow Food press office said Petrini, who also set up the University of Gastronomic Sciences in Pollenzo, near Bra, was “a visionary leader and public intellectual with a profound commitment to the common good, human relationships and the natural world”.

Through his initiatives, Petrini had “brought to life a global movement rooted in the values of good, clean and fair food for all, connecting communities, farmers, food artisans, cooks, activists, and young people across the world”, the statement added.

Italy’s president, Sergio Mattarella, led the tributes on Friday.

“The death of Carlo Petrini leaves a great void, not only in the world of food and wine science, but also in society as a whole, not just in Italy,” said Mattarella. “His insights and constant advocacy for sustainability, the need to preserve traditions, the enhancement of local cultures and respect for the environment have generated a new awareness of food culture and its production.”

Francesco Lollobrigida, the Italian agriculture minister, said “not every person leaves a trace of their passage, but Carlo Petrini did”, while the deputy prime minister Antonio Tajani said Italy had lost “a great ambassador” of its traditions.

Petrini established Slow Food in 1986 after widespread protests against the opening of Italy’s first McDonald’s close to the Spanish Steps in central Rome. Petrini and his fellow activists handed out plates of pasta to passersby while shouting: “We don’t want fast food. We want slow food.”

The restaurant opened despite the protests, with McDonald’s outlets in Italy now numbering approximately 800.

Still, Slow Food, which Petrini began with a group of friends, went on to have a huge international impact, and is now active in more than 160 countries.

The movement has also had a significant influence in Britain, and Petrini was a friend of King Charles, himself a longstanding champion of organic farming. In February last year, Charles and Queen Camilla hosted an evening celebrating Italian slow food at Highgrove, with the Italian-American actor and foodie Stanley Tucci among the guests. Charles and Camilla also sampled produce from farmers associated with the movement during their state visit to Italy last year.

In 2004, Petrini was named a “European hero” by Time magazine, and in January 2008 he was the only Italian included in the Guardian’s list of 50 people who could save the world.