Greece is set to highlight its food products to the world in a new promotion, the “Greek Diet” brand, said the country’s food minister on national television on Monday.

Spilios Livianos who is Greece’s Minister for Rural Development and Food said on SKAI TV that the new promotion was aimed at increasing the popularity of the Greek and Mediterranean diet worldwide. The promotion would be accompanied by more subsidising of the country’s infrastructure, increasing exports of agricultural products and training farmers.

“If we manage our investments in infrastructure soundly and increase production and exports, giving added value to our products, then we will have succeeded. If the money is spent on single grants then we will have to failed, as has been the case in previous decades,” the minister said.

“Our ally in this effort is the (European Union’s) Recovery Fund. The priority of the Ministry is the promotion worldwide of the Greek Diet brand. Greece has the privilege of producing excellent food products.”

Mr Livianos said that tourism could be the most powerful way to promote the Greek Diet brand to the world but that it was also important that Greeks needed to also favour Greek products in their homes.

“Tourists can become the best ambassadors of the Greek Diet. But we must understand, first of all, in our families, in our schools that we must prefer Greek products, not out of nationalism, but because they are better in quality.

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“These must acquire an identity. They must acquire a branding as the “Greek Diet”. We have a wealth to consume as part of a healthy diet but also as part of a our culture, our tradition, and our history, which we must connect with our tourism,” the minister said.

The health benefits of the Mediterranean diet are well publicized. The diet is plant based so that vegetables, fruits, legumes and unprocessed grains feature high on the list. It is also characterized by a low reliance on meat, processed meat products and dairy.

The reliance on olive oil is also key to a Mediterranean diet and its health properties are enhanced by being high in monosaturated fatty acids, antioxidants, Vitamin C and a hot of other beneficial vitamins and minerals.

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