Adding flavour to land and sea

The dynamics of food production can be traced back to the dawn of Humanity, when farmers, livestock breeders and fishermen gradually evolved into the sector’s earliest professionals. Since then, their activities have been radically transformed by technological advances, especially those which took place during the 20th century, but their basic job remains the same: that of supplying the population with foodstuffs obtained directly from the plants they grow, the animals they raise or the fish they catch in rivers and seas.

As Man’s perception of food has changed over the centuries and millenia, this fundamental objective of satisfying the basic human need to stay alive by eating has incorporated a secondary purpose: that of enhancing the pleasure experienced when eating and drinking. And this can be achieved in many different ways, from preparing food in as simple a manner as possible to the creation of dishes of the most refined sophistication.

The work of the farmers and fishermen has obviously been complemented by other groups of professionals, generating value added at each and every stage of the process. The final and most important link in the chain are the chefs, men and women who use their culinary skills to  transform food consumption into a form of art, relying on intuition, study and practice.

The Fundación Caja Rural del Sur attaches great importance to each stage of the food chain. In fact the Cajas Rurales, or Rural Savings Banks, first appeared thanks to the initiative of individual farmers’ groups and cooperatives, and today they still maintain close links with the food production sector, the food processing industry and agri-food marketers and distributors. In our particular case, Caja Rural del Sur is the leading promoter of agri-food sector R+D projects submittted to the Corporación Tecnológica de Andalucía (Andalusian Technological Corporation). It was quite logical, therefore, for a close relationship to evolve between the Foundation and Landaluz, the association which is contributing so much to the development of the sector in Andalusia. We share the common goals of safeguarding consumers’ interests and guaranteeing the highest possible quality, both of which must necessarily be achieved if the sector is to make progress.

The collaboration between Landaluz and Fundación Caja Rural del Sur can be seen in numerous joint initiatives, the most important of which is possibly the food quality forum known as the Tribuna Landaluz de la Calidad Alimentaria. The two organisms now find themselves together once more, shoulder to shoulder with the Andalusian Regional Government’s Department of Agriculture and Fisheries and the foreign trade agency Extenda in a major project aimed at drawing consumers’ attention to a group of restaurateurs who take pride in basing their dishes on ingredients produced in Andalusia, ingredients which constitute key components of the healthy Mediterranean Diet.

We therefore enthusiastically congratulate the participants in this initiative for clearly demonstrating the extent to which the products of our land and our seas can be enhanced to create the most wonderful flavours. There can be no doubt that they will achieve all of their objectives: making consumers more aware of the unique properties of Andalusian food products, and allowing them to enjoy the magnificent dishes created by some of our finest chefs.