Updated 4.10pm with PN reaction 

A new digital platform, tarmix.gov.mt, has been launched to help reduce food waste in Malta by connecting businesses with surplus food to voluntary organizations in need.

The platform is part of the Żomm Tarmix initiative, led by the Malta Food Agency, and was officially launched on Monday morning. It allows businesses involved in food, such as supermarkets, to list surplus food items while voluntary organizations specify their requirements. The system then automatically matches donations with requests.

Malta Food Agency CEO Brian Vella highlighted the initiative’s aim of shifting attitudes toward food waste, stating, “We are helping to change our mentality about food.”

Voluntary organizations and non-profits that provide food assistance can register as beneficiaries, provided they are formally recognized by the Voluntary Organisations Commission and sign up on tarmix.gov.mt using e-ID authentication.

Any business or food supplier with near-expired surplus food can participate, including food retailers, supermarkets, wholesalers, and manufacturers. Businesses that donate food are also eligible for tax deductions, provided they can present proof of their contributions.

Near-expired shelves in supermarkets

Beyond listing surplus food on the platform, businesses can also stock shelves in grocery stores or supermarkets with near-expiry items at discounted prices, making food available to the wider public. The Malta Food Agency will promote participating businesses through signage and social media, recognising their support for the initiative.

Prime Minister Robert Abela, who launched the initiative, emphasized that tackling food waste starts at home, sharing a personal anecdote about his daughter.

“The subject of food is one that is very close to my heart,” Abela said during his speech.

“You are what you eat, and never more than today has this been important.” He also said that he hopes this initiative shows that you don't have to spend much money to eat well. 

Agriculture Minister Anton Refalo noted that the government had pledged to address food waste in its 2022 electoral manifesto, stating, “The waste of food goes against the principles of social justice.” He described the initiative as proof of the government’s commitment to that promise.

Refalo concluded by quoting Pope Francis, who once said, “Throwing away food is like stealing from the table of those who are poor and hungry.”

PN: Government copying our ideas

The Nationalist Party welcomed the initiative but said that the government "likes to take credit for others’ work and seizes every chance to copy and steal the PN’s ideas."

The PN had presented a private members' bill to address food waste two years ago and Bernard Grech had given a speech about the issue following the 2025 Budget, it said. 

Now Robert Abela "has copied and stolen this proposal... as his own."

It is the second time in 24 hours that the PN has accused the government of copying its proposals. Earlier on Monday, the party spoke similarly about a plan to introduce bereavement leave for mothers who suffer miscarriages.