Traditional Agro-Food Products of Malta
The concept of traditional Agricultural-Food Products is subject to interpretation as everyone has a different idea of what traditional really means. Some can interpret traditional as something being a typical dish only prepared and served in Malta whilst others may include various foods brought in by foreigners and integrated throughout the years as a Maltese product. To address this issue, a legal notice was drafted to define what constitutes traditional products and a board shall be having the final say following a public consultation procedure. The purpose of an official register is to serve as an official reference to the genuine traditional agro-food products.
LEGAL BASIS
S.L. 427.89 Establishment of the National Register of Traditional Agro-Food Products of Malta Regulations.
NATIONAL REGISTER OF TRADITIONAL AGRO-FOOD PRODUCTS OF MALTA LOGO
HOW CAN ONE PUT FORWARD A REQUEST FOR THE INCLUSION OF A PRODUCT IN THE NATIONAL REGISTER OF TRADITIONAL AGRO-FOOD PRODUCTS OF MALTA?
Anyone can put forward a product or recipe which they believe should be included and officially recognised in the National Register of Traditional Agro-Food Products of Malta. The Register shall include the name of the product, the area of origin, a description of the product and of its processing, preservation and ageing methods, the materials used for the product’s preparation and the product’s history and tradition. In this regard, an application form EN must be compiled and submitted online. The Competent Authority upon receiving the submission, compiles the application forms which are then forwarded to the Traditional Agro-Food Products of Malta Board.
THE ROLE OF THE TRADITIONAL AGRO-FOOD PRODUCTS OF MALTA BOARD
The role of the Traditional Agro-Food Products of Malta Board is to evaluate the product or products submitted for inclusion in the Register and shall decide whether such products have been approved or rejected as being traditional agro-food products of Malta.
PUBLIC CONSULTATION ON THE NATIONAL REGISTER OF TRADITIONAL AGRO-FOOD PRODUCTS OF MALTA
Following the evaluation made by the Traditional Agro-Food Products of Malta Board, the recommended products are then put forward to the Agriculture Directorate within the Ministry for Agriculture, Fisheries, Food and Animal Rights to launch a public consultation.
The general public as well as all interested stakeholders shall then be invited to provide their feedback on the open public consultation by accessing all relevant documentation electronically via the table below, and provide feedback via the email: [email protected]
Any previous and open public consultations are listed in the table below.
The Board shall, after evaluating the application and the feedback obtained from the public through the public consultation period, take a decision on whether to include the product in the National Register of Traditional Agro-Food Products of Malta or otherwise.
NATIONAL REGISTER OF TRADITIONAL AGRO-FOOD PRODUCTS OF MALTA
The products approved by the Board and included in the National Register of Traditional Agro-Food Products of Malta can be accessed through the following link.