Eating out Mediterranean: over 300 restaurants receive the "MedDiet" quality label

Highlights
• The consumption of pre-packaged and processed food, rich in salt and saturated fats, has tripled in the Mediterranean area during the last decades.
• Bad diet habits contribute to an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes and weight gain.
• The MedDiet project works toward the promotion of the Mediterranean diet, which is praised by scientists for its healthy benefits. This includes a quality label for restaurants.

Over 300 restaurants in Egypt, Greece, Italy, Lebanon, Spain, and Tunisia have been awarded the MedDiet quality label. This label certifies that restaurants offer authentic Mediterranean meals  complying with precise terms of reference. Among the main criteria are:

- use of olive oil as main source of added fat, better if extra virgin olive oil;
- use of local and seasonal products, including large quantity of fruit and vegetables;
- dishes cooked according to traditional recipes and/or in line with the Mediterranean diet;
- transparent food information to customers;
- activities to promote the benefits of the Mediterranean diet.

The MedDiet label also considers the design of the restaurants and cultural elements which are integral part of the Mediterranean diet.

An app for mobile will be soon available on the project’s website in order to help people find the nearest "MedDiet" restaurants.

Promotion, education and capacity building

The preservation of healthy food habits goes beyond restaurants. Project partners have undertaken educational activities in schools dedicated to 4,800 young students. The partners have also established 20 info points in 10 different countries to share knowledge and assist in promoting the diet.

On the institutional level, the project has trained 250 staff of local authorities so they can in turn carry out initiatives to raise the awareness of consumers.

Finally, the project advocates for the design of a common legal framework for safeguarding and promoting the Mediterranean diet.

For more information about the MedDiet project, please contact:

Marco Proietti
Communication coordinator
MedDiet project
UNIONCAMERE
Tel.: +39 06.470.4528
Email: filiere@unioncamere.it

Elie Massoud MedDiet Project Manager
Chamber of Commerce, Industry & Agriculture of Beirut and Mount Lebanon
Tel.: +961 1 353 390 ext. 18
Email: agriculture@ccib.org.lb

Fonte: http://www.enpicbcmed.eu/communication/eating-out-mediterranean-over-300-restaurants-receive-meddiet-quality-label