Lidl Malta, the leading supermarket chain on the Maltese islands, today brought together agricultural leaders, civil society advocates, and academic experts at Fort St. Angelo for a stakeholder forum titled "More than shopping: Delivering value across the board."
The event opened with a keynote address by Anton Refalo, Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries, and Food Supply, who set out national policies surrounding local food security, agricultural resilience, and sustainable food systems.
Following the Minister's address, executive moderator Vanessa MacDonald led a high-level panel featuring Lidl Malta Director Owen Micallef, Malcolm Borg (President of Għaqda Bdiewa Attivi & representative of the Farmers Central Co-operative Society), Beth Fiteni (Friends of the Earth Malta), and Prof. Suzanne Piscopo from the University of Malta.
During the discussion, Owen Micallef outlined how Lidl Malta is actively strengthening commercial relationships with local producers. Beyond long-standing fruit and vegetable partnerships with the Farmers Central Co-operative Society (FCCS), Lidl highlighted its recent milestone agreement with local pig breeders (K.I.M) to supply fresh Maltese pork directly to its stores.
"As Malta's leading retailer, delivering value goes far beyond offering the best prices on the shelf. It means leveraging our commercial scale to create long-term stability for Maltese farmers, invest in our local supply chains, and take decisive action on environmental responsibility," said Owen Micallef, Lidl Malta Director. "Today's discussion demonstrates that when retail, agriculture, academia, and civil society work in alignment, we create tangible value for Maltese families and the wider economy."
Marking over a year of structured retail collaboration between Lidl and the Farmers Central Co-operative Society (FCCS), Malcolm Borg explained how guaranteed, long-term contracts give local farmers the financial predictability needed to invest in modern technology, land, and crop planning. On the environmental and social front, consultant Beth Fiteni shared real-world insights on circular economy practices and the impact of Lidl's Feed It Back program, which diverts edible surplus food directly to local NGOs. Addressing consumer behavior, Prof. Suzanne Piscopo outlined household food waste dynamics and discussed how clear retail strategies can actively guide consumers toward sustainable, healthy choices in an island context.
Lidl also presented its multi-tiered approach to tackling food waste in-store, including its popular €3 Food Saving Bags - which give 4kg of fresh produce a second life while raising funds for Caritas Malta - and the daily redistribution of quality surplus food to over 10 local charities through the Feed It Back program.
The forum marks the launch of a broader transparency initiative by the retailer, with full details of its local economic and environmental impact being released tomorrow in Lidl Malta's first-ever comprehensive Sustainability Magazine.