The Maltese Islands are not short of food festivals. The Department of Agriculture has even set up a dedicated Rural Festivities Unit to increase the knowledge of local people about agriculture, animals and fishery. However, no one can deny that Festa Frawli stands out from all the rest and has become one of the most … Continue reading Festa Frawli – a formula for success
"Everything should be in line, and all relevant authorities have been brought up to speed in order to register the Ġbejna as PDO. So Malta is now very close to elevate the status of the Ġbejna. Unfortunately the biggest current obstacle in the way is bureaucracy at a local level." One thing that makes us … Continue reading Close, yet so far!
Food labelling is an issue that is finally being taken more seriously at a local level. However as with any piece of news one has to acquire all the correct information before making public statements. The photo below is being circulated on various posts on Facebook. It features a label issued by Greens Supermarket on a … Continue reading Mislabeled Bambinella
Recently I had a chat with a full time farmer who seemed keen to share an incident that happened to his 11-year-old son... let's call the boy 'Ronald', for argument's sake. Ronald and his classmates were asked by their teacher a question: "Can you mention different professionals?". All the kids started naming conventional professions such … Continue reading “Being a farmer is not a profession” or is it?
After a rainy weekend spent indoors, Christian and I needed to go out for a couple of errands and took the chance to take Nikol out to enjoy the fresh air. Showers persisted in the morning and afternoon but that didn't discourage us from venturing outdoors. It was the first time I passed through the … Continue reading A little green patch
December is around the corner and the citrus season is here once again. Just at the right time, when we need to boost our vitamin C intake to defend ourselves from common autumn ailments. A variety of locally grown sweet and sour oranges, lemons, tangerines, clementines and grapefruits are starting to appear on vendors' shelves … Continue reading A juicy (but worrying) matter!
Unfortunately, relevant authorities are currently focusing their energies on legislation which scrutinises the 'quality' of local products. Of course, this is NOT a bad thing in itself... we actually need to address the issue of quality. But when you consider that we're concentrating on 'quality' without tackling the issue of 'traceability', then it's simply pie in … Continue reading Food fraud… what are we doing about it?
A few thoughts following the press release issued by WHO - "Stop using antibiotics in healthy animals to prevent the spread of antibiotic resistance". The organisation is right in advising livestock farmers around the world to be extra careful. Here are a few considerations from a local perspective to put consumers' minds at rest! … Continue reading Antibiotics use in healthy animals, WHO news release
Throughout the years, I have been approached by various farmers and enthusiasts about the need for proper agri marketing for Maltese produce. It is now even clearer that even locally, media leaves a huge impact on consumer behaviour. Those who appreciate the food culture are well acquainted with Italian TV programs that exalt their regional … Continue reading Greater demand reported after promoting local products
Jeanette Borg 