Traditional Lebanese products are the subject of a bill to organize and protect their sector. Louis Lahoud, Director General of the Ministry of Agriculture, announced the preparations for the first national day dedicated to these products, held on 6 November at the Antonine University. The text remains a draft to be completed before it is transmitted in accordance with the procedures laid down.
The meeting was held on Hadath-Baabda campus, in the presence of the Minister of Agriculture Nizar Hani and the Rector Michel Saghbini. She associated an exhibition with two discussion sessions. Its ambition is to link the transmission of food heritage with outlets for producers.
Traditional Lebanese products seek a framework
The National Commission for the Case was established by Ministerial Decision 81/1 of 20 February 2026. It brings together representatives from the public and private sectors and universities. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations participates as an observer.
According to Louis Lahoud, this commission prepared and discussed a draft law. Comments still need to be incorporated. The announcement therefore does not mean that a new protection scheme has entered into force. It does not create a label for producers alone.
The work envisaged includes the identification and classification of products. They also concern the protection of local designations, geographical indications and designations of origin. These concepts refer to devices that require specific criteria: current discussions do not allow for the announcement of their attribution to a specific product.
The committee also wants to strengthen food security and facilitate access to markets for small producers and cooperatives. The protection of heritage is thus part of a reflection on the concrete conditions of manufacture and marketing.
Quality, packaging and marketing
Nizar Hani presented the 24 sectoral committees that accompany agricultural activities. They bring together production, processing and marketing stakeholders. The Minister assigns them a role in improving quality and meeting health requirements.
Packaging is another area of work. For a product intended for circulation beyond its place of manufacture, packaging shall be used for storage and identification. Opportunities also depend on the ability to present a regular and understandable offer to the buyer.
The day did not deliver an quantified sales balance sheet or a measured increase in revenues. The organizers present the rural benefits as a goal. No new grants open for applications have been announced in the material made public.
The traditional character of a food does not exempt it from controlling its preparation conditions. The discussions specifically linked food identity to contemporary health requirements. They have not established a general nutritional superiority of traditional products.
University wants to support family businesses
Michel Saghbini highlighted the skills of the Antonine University in management, communication, public health and entrepreneurship. It wishes to mobilize them for small projects and family businesses.
The Rector proposed to extend this cooperation during the academic year. Workshops and field activities could involve the three settlements, including Nabi Ayla, in the Zahlé region, and Majdlayya, near Zghorta. This perspective remains an announced orientation, without a detailed training schedule.
It gave special attention to women in rural areas. Their expertise in mouneh preparation and food processing can be used as a starting point for paid work. The above-mentioned guidance covers planning, management and marketing.
The transmission is therefore not only about revenue. It also involves organising an activity that can last. The exhibition welcomed products from the Antonin monasteries, presented as the result of their agricultural and crop conservation practices.
Restaurants as an outlet
Tony Rami, president of the restaurant trade union, stressed the link between local products and tourism experience. The presence of regional specialities in restaurants can make their diversity known to Lebanese visitors and consumers.
This proposal puts producers and catering professionals in contact. It does not yet correspond to a collective purchasing program or announced contracts. Quantities, prices and supply conditions remain to be specified in possible trade agreements.
Nizar Hani called for regular support for Lebanese products. He quoted two meetings in November: the Agri Lebanon show on the 19th, then a celebration dedicated to oil and olive in Gharifé on the 27th.
Louis Lahoud also plans to meet in the regions after this first national day. For the legal framework, the next announced step remains the integration of comments into the draft law, before it is forwarded to the competent authorities.
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