Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1184160
14.11.19 TRENDSETTERS MASSIMO COSTA IN our modern, fast-paced world, the buying of fruit and vegetables hardly ever involves an interaction between the consumer and the person who grew the produce – the farmer. Instead it involves trips to large su- permarkets, where vegetables are put on display in rows of containers of dif- ferent produce, with the person buying them having little idea as to their prov- enance or when they were picked from the ground. Indeed, Malta's agricultural sector is facing unprecedented threats from for- eign competitors and land-use issues, and the perception is that traditional Maltese agriculture is waning. But this does not have to be the case, and consumers can do their part to sup- port local producers. Enter e Veg Box, a fruits and vegeta- bles market which strives to bridge the gap between farmers and consumer of food, and supports those who work the land in a traditional way. e Veg Box offers naturally and local- ly-grown produce, in keeping with its principles that produce grown simply and following a less mass-produced in- dustrialised method makes for healthier meals. Having first been founded in 2012, in the summer of 2019, e Veg Box moved to a new location at e Far- moury in the countryside of Manikata, near the entrance to the Majjistral Na- ture Park. From its Manikata base it offers a se- lection of fruits and vegetables, sourced from the produce of five local farmers. e Veg Box harvests twice a week, to ensure produce quality and freshness. It also supports the local farming community by offering capacity build- ing courses, encouraging workers of the land to convert to organic and sustaina- ble production. e prices of the fruit and vegetables offered are in keeping with the farmers' guidelines, which ensures their service remains sustainable and continues to support local farmers. e Veg Box is open Tuesdays and Fri- day "from 9:30am till sunset, plus one hour", which means their doors are cur- rently open till around 7pm. The Veg Box: bridging the gap between farmer and consumer