REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, BRUSSELS -- Schools in Latvian capital city Riga have been urged to give preference to local products in food procurement as the country is sparing no effort to minimize the impact of Russian ban on food imports from the European Union (EU).
Citing Riga Mayor Nils Usakovs, the LETA news agency reported Friday that the authorities are seeking "all legal options" to support local food and agricultural producers who are suffering losses due to the Russian sanctions.
Municipal kindergartens that provide catering services independently have been ordered to give priority to the Latvian food, while companies that offer catering in schools have been recommended to consider Latvian food as the main condition when signing new contracts, according to the report.
The country is taking measures to increase consumption of local food products after the Russia's Aug. 7 announcement of ban of food and agricultural products imports from the EU in retaliation for the Western sanctions on Moscow over the Ukraine crisis.