
Food & drink


The Latvian-based food producer group Food Union has cut "all ties with partners and Russia and also in Belarus", Latvian Television's investigative broadcast Forbidden Method reported March 14.

Retailer Lidl has placed a limit on the number of certain items per one buyer. Rimi and Maxima do not plan such restrictions, representatives told LETA on March 14.

In connection with the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Latvian beverage producer Cido Group has stopped exports to Russia and Belarus, Cido said in a release March 11.

The arrival of Spring is synonymous with one thing in particular in Latvia – drinking the freshly tapped sap of the birch tree.

Following the imposition of sanctions on Russia and Belarus, as well as the Ukrainian decision to ban exports of some food groups, stores have observed a spike in demand for foods with a long shelf life, especially salt. Retailers surveyed by regional television ReTV on March 8 say Latvia is not short of salt.

Latvia ranks in sixth place among European Union countries when it comes to the proportion of agricultural area used for organic farming, according to Eurostat data released February 22.

Specially manufactured gluten-free products available in Latvia are mostly produced abroad. Latvian baked goods company Ludzas maiznīca is starting to explore the niche and manufacturing gluten-free baked goods locally, Latvian Radio reported February 18.

Provisional data published by the Central Statistical Bureau (CSB) February 17 show that in 2021, the cereal area being farmed in Latvia increased by 22.7 thousand hectares or 3 %, but prolonged heat and drought resulted in the lowest cereal yield in three years – 38.6 quintals per hectare.

Latvia's famous chef Mārtiņš Rītiņš has died at the age of 73, said Linda Apse, author of Rītiņš' biography, on February 11.

The Ministry of Health (VM), Latvian Federation of Food Companies (LPUF) and the Latvian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LTRK) signed a cooperation memorandum on improving food composition, according to VM's information of February 4.

Malevss SIA, a cheese production and catering company, has been granted a EUR 590 000 loan to build a cheese production plant near Ikšķile, Luminor bank said January 12.

The image of Latvia as a farming nation that just loves to consume regular, large portions of fresh fruit and vegetables is belied by latest data from Eurostat.

Restaurant managers are calling for an immediate decision on the resumption of the catering industry after the currentl lockdown ends, as well as for the provision of long-term state support, the Latvian Restaurant Association (LRB) said November 4, the LSM Latvian language service reports.

European Union statistics agency Eurostat has marked Halloween by publishing pumpkin data.

October and November is the time of the harvest of the most expensive spice in the world – saffron. This autumn, the first-ever harvest of saffron has also been gathered in Latvia, Priekuļi, Latvian Radio October 23.
Most important











Most read









