Eat local, says Ilves

  • 2012-08-22
  • From wire reports

TALLINN - Estonian producers of agricultural products, local activists, researchers and top-level chefs in Estonia convened at President Toomas Hendrik Ilves’ home farm, at Arma in Viljandi County, on Aug. 16, reports LETA. Ilves’ guests stated that the best food to offer to Estonians – in primary schools, schools and restaurants – is locally produced food.

Representatives of the Hiiu County Co-operative introduced their project, “Local Food on the Tables of Local Communities,” and noted that during the three years they have implemented their project, they have proven that cooking school meals from locally produced foodstuffs is not more expensive than importing deep-frozen food. Now their initiative is spreading across Estonia.

“Estonia needs to be capable of supplying itself with Estonian high-quality and pure food,” said Ilves. “We do not need to buy tomatoes imported from far away, that have not had any contact with real soil, and I am glad that our chefs and eating establishments as well as several local governments have understood this fact,” he added.

According to his wife Evelin Ilves, the objective of the meeting, just as that of a similar meeting that took place last year, was to bring together producers and chefs who would use locally produced food, explaining that the plan is to create a network.

“We need good role models where top-level chefs advise people on how to make healthy meals out of locally produced food products,” she said.