Latest updates from our meetings and communication in the past few months.
The cost of living and the POYC vouchers
The Association is far from satisfied that there has been absolutely no response from the Minister for Health to our letter regarding the ever-increasing prices of gluten free food and the continued reduction of the purchasing power of the monthly POYC vouchers.
Now that the election is over and everything has returned back to normal, we will be writing again to the Minister seeking an urgent meeting.
Raising awareness
Apart from the initiatives taken to commemorate International Coeliac Day, the Association met officials from the Department of Education with the scope of raising awareness among teachers, administrative staff and pupils from the earliest school levels.
Having discussed the various possibilities to raise awareness, the Association is now waiting for feedback on the possible way/s forward.
Reporting coeliac related issues in supermarkets, restaurants
After providing information in the last newsletter on the outcome of the meetings we had to discuss issues with POYC vouchers and whilst eating out, we are trying to make it easier for such situations to be reported with the information expected by both POYC and the Directorate for Environmental Health.
On our website, we added the following links that will assist you to provide all the requested details and thus allow for further investigations:
We strongly recommend that you report all incidents as solutions to the problems may only be achieved by allowing the competent authorities to investigate.
Issues facing coeliacs when eating out
Since the Association is totally committed to do all that it takes to make restaurateurs aware and, hopefully, remedy the serious problems we all face when eating out, the Association recently emailed the Malta Tourism Authority and the Food Safety Commission highlighting the issues coeliacs face and requesting a meeting.
Up until the time of writing:
- The Food Safety Commission acknowledged receipt of our letter and advised that it was going to be discussed during their next meeting
- No communication has been received from the Malta Tourism Authority