We are what we eat. A healthy outside starts from the inside

For the past three decades, to say the least, Malta has faced a growing public health challenge. Notwithstanding that we find ourselves in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, our dietary habits have resulted in rising obesity rates among all ages.

As one of the European countries with the highest prevalence of overweight and obesity, we have recognised the urgent need to address nutrition-related health issues. Through a series of strategic policies and initiatives, Malta has taken a proactive stance to promote healthier eating across all age groups, with a particular focus on children, vulnerable populations and community-wide engagement.

Such policies are not new. Malta was a pioneer in the development of a National Food and Nutrition Policy as early as the 1980s. This foundational document, aligned with the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) European Action Plan for Food and Nutrition Policy, set the stage for future national strategies on healthy eating.

Building on this legacy, the Food and Nutrition Policy and Action Plan for Malta (2015–2020) was introduced. Its aim was to tackle the growing burden of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease and obesity. Unfortunately, all these diseases are frequent among our population, considering the high intake of processed food.

This policy adopted a whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach. This approach emphasised intersectoral collaboration and a life-course perspective, from prenatal care to old age. It aimed to improve dietary habits and, consequently, reduce health inequalities and create environments that support healthy choices.

To this effect, several national strategies complement the food and nutrition policy, namely the Healthy Weight for Life Strategy (2012–2020), which focused on halting and reversing obesity trends through improved nutrition and physical activity; The Whole School Approach to Healthy Eating and Physical Activity Policy (2015), which targeted schools as critical environments for shaping lifelong healthy habits; and the National Breastfeeding Policy and Action Plan (2015–2020), which promoted exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of life to support early nutrition.

These documents collectively reflect Malta’s commitment to embedding nutrition into public health, education and social policy. However, all these strategies were not marketed as they should have been and are barely known to the population.

Recognising that lifelong habits are often formed in childhood, Malta has prioritised school-based interventions. The Whole School Approach policy encourages limiting the availability of foods high in salt, sugar and fat; promoting healthy meals and snacks; integrating nutrition education into the curriculum; and encouraging physical activity alongside healthy eating.

Additionally, Legal Notice 266 (2018) regulates the provision of food and drinks in schools, ensuring that only items meeting nutritional standards are sold. Schools are also prohibited from advertising or accepting sponsorships from brands that do not align with these standards.

The Let’s Talk Farming initiative further strengthens this educational thrust. This joint programme by the Ministry for Agriculture, Fisheries and Animal Rights and the Ministry for Education, Sports, Youths, Research and Innovation aims to enhance awareness of food systems, environmental responsibility as well as to inspire careers in the agriculture sector. This initiative is aimed towards students across primary, middle and secondary schools by offering an educational platform that includes visits on farms and other resources such as expert-led sessions.

Knowing the source of the food is a prime factor in enticing the population to consume healthier food– Alicia Bugeja Said

As a government, our aim is to build awareness among the next generation while creating practical skills and appreciation for fresh, local food produce as well as help them make more informed and healthy choices from a young age.

The Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Directorate (HPDP) plays a central role in implementing community-based programmes. One flagship initiative is the Piż Tajjeb Tul Ħajtek (Healthy Weight for Life) programme, which offers weekly interactive nutrition sessions, physical activity classes and education on portion sizes, food labels and the Mediterranean diet.

This programme is available both in-person and online, making it accessible to adults with a Body Mass Index (BMI) over 25.

Malta has also launched several campaigns to raise awareness about healthy eating. These include the EU-funded lunch box campaign, which uses child-friendly characters to teach children aged five to 10 about nutrition and physical activity. On the other hand, parents receive recipe books and educational material to reinforce these messages at home. Another very important scheme was the school fruit scheme that encourages children to try a variety of fruits and vegetables in a learning environment. Finally, the introduction of the nutrition helpline (8007 3307), which offers personalised advice and support for individuals seeking to improve their diet.

On paper, we seem to be doing more than one expects to have a culture change in the way we eat. However, considering the negative results in obesity, people need to be made more aware of these valuable instruments.

In addition to these strategies, one can couple a plan towards encouraging the consumption of local produce to boost healthy eating. Eat local – Eat Fresh campaign, apart from boosting local farmers’ income, aims at providing on our tables food that is guaranteed to be fresh and certified free from any harmful pesticides and preservatives.

Even though we do not have enough production of food to be self-sustainable, local produce should be used at the forefront of all healthy eating campaigns. Our farmers and fishers should be more involved in educational campaigns to promote and show the population what it takes to produce the food we consume.

Knowing the source of the food is a prime factor in enticing the population to consume healthier food.

By eating healthy, we will feel and be healthy. Consequently, the bill we pay for health services will decrease as many side effects and diseases caused by eating preserved foodstuffs will gradually subside. The money we spare from the health services can be used to fund more of these campaigns and, above all, sustain our local farmers in new initiatives to produce pesticide-free food.

Alicia Bugeja Said is Parliamentary Secretary for Fisheries, Aquaculture and Animal Welfare.