FOOD AND NUTRITION POLICY IN MALTA

Food and nutrition policy in Malta was officially endorsed by Governme nt in the late 1980s, The urgency stemmed from the increasingly preocc upying health situation of the Maltese population characterized by the higher rates of cardiovascular diseases and neoplasms. Although a sma ll island in the central Mediterranean, Malta does not have a diet tha t is characteristic of the rest of the Mediterranean region, The main aim of this paper is to outline the main characteristics of Maltese fo od consumption and the constraints encountered in the process of imple menting the food and nutrition policy. The final section provides some recommendations that could also be considered in other Mediterranean countries that are in the process of designing or implementing similar policies. On the eve of the 21st century and in light of Malta's even tual accession in the European Union, several fundamental measures sti ll need to be introduced and enforced, the most important being those concerning food safety and quality.