Estonia, Markets and Companies

Ilves’ guests stated that the best food to give to Estonian people – in primary schools, schools and restaurants – is locally produced food.

Representatives of the Hiiu County Co-operative introduced their project “Local Food on Tables of the 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 imported 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 President Toomas Hendrik 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 Evelin Ilves, the objective of the meeting, just as that of the similar meeting that took place last year, was to bring together producers and chefs who should use locally produced food, explaining that the plan is to create a network of relations.

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