When Justin John Camilleri joined the Malta Food Agency as its Chief Business Development Officer in 2023, he was happy to return to the food industry. “I’ve been connected to the food sector since I started working as a machine operator at the age of 18,” he says. From those early beginnings, Justin went on to complete an MBA in Business Administration before becoming Head of Export and Production Development for a Maltese food manufacturer.

He then left the sector to work in specialised printing and ran his own business consultancy. When the opportunity arose to join the Malta Food Agency, it seemed like the perfect chance to reconnect with the food sector. Initially, the agency’s work was focused on Malta’s fruit, vegetable, fish and farmers markets and bridging gaps between producers and businesses. “On many days, we’d go from talking to farmers in fields to wearing suits for boardroom meetings.”

As the agency matured, the team started to look beyond the markets to bring together different stakeholders in the food sector and develop strategic partnerships to maximise resources. At the same time, reducing food waste became a bigger concern in and beyond the Maltese Islands. The idea for ‘Zomm! Tarmix’ was born, and the recently launched tarmix.gov.mt platform is taking the initiative to the next level.

“I’m a firm believer in joining forces with business partners to strengthen initiatives that may already have started but need more resources,” Justin explains. “Our tarmix.gov.mt platform does just that. It allows businesses that may be at risk of wasting food to connect with those who need it through accredited voluntary organisations.”

Representatives of the Malta Food Agency, Maltese Government and social partners signing an agreement to reduce food waste

The goal is simple but powerful: eliminate food waste throughout the islands by giving it to those who would not have enough otherwise. “Technically, our remit is giving value to food rather than dealing with food waste” admits Justin. At the same time, he offers a different perspective: “Whenever something perishable isn’t sold and needs to be thrown away, it removes all value from the farmers’ hard work and limited resources like water that went into the production process.”

Looking at the markets, the Malta Food Agency's team realised that several channels already existed to deal with surplus produce and minimise waste. Still, food waste was an issue in other places.

“To understand the problem better, we launched a small digital platform to trace food waste across our market,” Justin says. Based on its findings, the agency decided it was time to do more. “We figured it was time to level up and get more partners involved in minimising food waste.”

To learn more about potential solutions, the team looked at initiatives abroad and eventually approached the Commissioner of Taxes with initial thoughts. Over time, the agency had all the building blocks needed for a larger digital platform and tarmix.gov.mt was launched.

The platform turns food businesses into benefactors. Those benefactors list available surplus food on tarmix.gov.mt. Beneficiaries include thoroughly vetted voluntary organisations through which the food will be distributed. The organisations list their needs and preferences to be matched with available supplies.

“We use an artificial intelligence algorithm to streamline and automate logistics behind the donations,” Justin says. At the time of writing, the team is in the process of setting up initial users. “The feedback we’ve had has been overwhelmingly positive, and applications are coming in every day. All the businesses we’ve spoken to have been interested in joining.”

Justin is quick to add that plenty of food businesses have already started minimising their food waste. He hopes that the platform will give them even more reasons to continue. “Through tarmix.gov.mt, businesses have tax incentives as all donations are registered and accounted for. They’ll also benefit because the platform is supporting them in achieving their environmental, social and governance goals.”

As the initiative is picking up speed, Justin envisages one big challenge: “Unfortunately, there is a huge need for these services, and we think that demand may be outpacing supply.” Still, the Malta Food Agency hopes that if enough businesses turn into benefactors, they can really help those most in need.

“Even today, there are children going hungry. That thought alone should be enough for all of us to stop wasting food.” Once tarmix.gov.mt successfully matches food businesses with voluntary organisations, the team is planning to launch a second phase. “We want to encourage supermarkets and others to set up special sections with heavily discounted food that is about to expire to minimise waste even more.”

Beyond that, the Malta Food Agency has an even more ambitious goal: together they want to change everyone's mentality when it comes to wasting food. “We want every person to consider what they really need to buy and what they can do to stop wasting food before leftovers land in the bin.”

Malta Food Agency CEO Brian Vella addressing the conference announcing the strategic partnerships

Reaching goals like these would not be possible without strong partners, and the Malta Food Agency has committed to strategic partnerships to support its efforts. Those partners include Circular Economy Malta, Fondazzjoni Caritas Malta, Fondazzjoni għall-Opri Soċjali fl-Arċidjoċesi ta' Malta, HSBC Malta Foundation, Malta Chamber of SMEs, Malta Council for the Voluntary Sector, Malta ESG Alliance, MCESD and the Office of the Commissioner for Voluntary Organisations.

For the immediate future, however, Justin’s sights are set on connecting businesses and voluntary organisations. “We understand that not everyone is a digital native. That's why we’ve created a user-friendly platform that limits bureaucracy.”

That simplicity is backed up by strong support. “Aside from having strong partners, being accessible and supportive is hugely important,” Justin emphasises “Our doors are always open for stakeholders looking for more information or needing guidance. By working together, we can achieve our goal.”