The Maltese food system and the Mediterranean

The paper seeks to understand the Maltese food system in the context of its history and its geographical position within a broad Mediterranean setting of food production, processing, marketing and consumption. Although it has characteristics in common with Spain, Italy and Greece, Malta has some unusual features derived from its colonial heritage and its long-standing dependence upon imported foodstuffs. The future is uncertain because full membership of the European Union might threaten agricultural prosperity and indigenous food manufacturing. A systems of provision approach to the study of the Maltese food system would be an appropriate framework for further research.