There are fewer pleasures in life greater than going on a delightful gastronomic journey. It is no secret, that good food has grown to define the way we entertain ourselves, from our day-to-day consumption up to foodie holidays in near or far-flung countries.

The local food scene has been on an inspiring journey of self-discovery and growth, and one chief promotor behind this is the Malta Food Agency. Justin John Camilleri, Chief Business Development Officer at the agency explains how their end goal is to see Maltese products scale the value chain, becoming first choice produce for the fine connoisseur.

“Maltese products have a lot to offer, be it fresh fruit and vegetables, dairy products or fish and meat. The obvious advantages of consuming local products are clear enough. Our products travel much smaller distances from farm to table, making them much fresher and more cost effective. Our climate also favours the growth of certain products which means they would be of a finer quality when compared with their competing alternatives,” Justin explains.

“In a globalised economy, competition is very tough, and that is not a bad thing. In fact, through competition we are driven to help our producers upgrade their game to offer a superior product and remain competitive. It is all about thinking outside the box, and doing things differently,” Justin notes.

The Malta Food Agency makes it a point to inspire producers to take the less trodden road to add value to their products. “We are constantly in touch with like-minded innovators who can help us see things differently. That is why we attend numerous fairs with the aim to collaborate and share knowledge on specific processes for mutual benefit. Such experiences inspire us to explore and discuss the feasibility of growing innovative and exotic produce, previously unseen in Malta. The opportunities are endless, as we aim to continue to elevate Malta's culinary offering. It is fresh and exciting ideas like this that motivate us to push the industry forward,” Justin continues.

And The Malta Food Agency is determined to treat local food production as a veritable priority business sector which contributes respectably to the local economy. In fact, a memorandum of understanding with Malta Enterprise has already been signed to provide a basis for collaboration between the two entities, to promote food production as a priority economic sector. 

“We are in touch with the Chamber of Commerce, and the Chamber of SMEs, who are helping us take the sector up the value chain. We want to be close to and have all the key stakeholders on board in order to be able to influence policy that enables us to take the next quality leap. The cooperatives which welcome farmers, agricultural operators, fishermen and all others involved in food production are on board, and excited to join this vision. We are also working on further strategic memoranda of understanding with more entities, in a bid to value our food heritage as an important part of product Malta. This is just the beginning,” Justin says enthusiastically.

In fact, the Malta Food Agency is already making important strides on the commercial front, opening avenues of collaboration with the local leaders of the culinary industry, inspiring others to think different.

“We are currently collaborating with local leading healthy food chains, as we are developing new products using local watermelons. We know that come summer, the crop is bountiful, and its price tends to drop significantly – it is the basic law of supply and demand which governs any economy. In order to help our producers yield a better price for their long months of hard work, we are helping them scale the value chain, coming up with innovative products that command an appetite on the market. Attractive packaging and presentation are only the final steps to take the product to the next level,” Justin adds.

Communication in all directions is central to the work of the Malta Food Agency, as the public is brought on board as a central stakeholder in the whole equation.

“We want to reach out to consumers in a meaningful manner, welcoming them to try local products first. Our campaigns are informative and show how local produce can be of value in terms of nutritional benefits to consumers,” Justin explains. “We seek to raise awareness through podcasts and detailed features about the various products that are produced in Malta and Gozo. Ultimately, we urge consumers to ask for local products even when they don’t see that they are available on the shelves at their local retailers. That way, we create demand!”

The Malta Food Agency is also working on establishing an innovative space that will welcome food producers to experiment with their products as they test the market. “In this space, we will be offering the opportunity to budding food producers to develop innovative products. The simplest things go a long way when seen and packaged differently,” Justin remarks. “With this initiative we are reducing waste, as we look at our produce more holistically, not to mention increasing its value on the market. This is what thinking outside the box really is!”

“Next we want to open a series of selling points in strategic locations around Malta, bringing the end consumer closer to the producer. Similarly, our farmers’ markets have already registered unprecedented success over the years they have been operating. Our vision is to make them real and proper meccas for foodies who would mill to the place to get the very best produce straight from the hands of the people who toiled over them. An eatery on the premises will surely take the entire experience to a different level.”

The end user experience is also set to change dramatically thanks to a series of innovative digital tools which will help consumers trace and obtain the very best products available.

“Through a specially designed app, consumers will be able to accurately and reliably know the availability and traceability of a specific batch of vegetables through the use of time-barred barcodes. The Pixkerija will use a similar system informing consumers about the availability of fresh fish that would have been sold from the national fish market. It is all about security and traceability, giving more value to our products.”

It is also about creating a sense of community around these products as well. “The app will include a user-submitted section, where foodies will be able to upload their favourite recipes using local vegetables, fruit, meat, or fish. We want to inspire them to seek local first, every time,” Justin concludes.