Work in a Socially Diverse Environment

The Maltese Islands are a group of small, low islands aligned in a NW-SE direction and located in the central Mediterranean at:
Latitude: 35°48'28" 36°05'00" North
Longitude: 14°11'04" 14°34'37" East
They are situated on a shallow shelf, the Malta-Ragusa Rise, part of the submarine ridge, which extends from the Ragusa peninsula of Sicily southwards to the African coasts of Tripoli and Libya. Geophysical, the Maltese Islands and the Ragusa peninsula of Sicily are generally regarded as forming part of the African continental plate. The islands lie approximately:
The sea between the islands and Sicily (the Sicilian Channel) reaches a maximum depth of not more than 200 m and is mostly less than 90 m; that between the islands and North Africa (the Malta Channel) is much deeper, in places reaching more than 1,000 m
Its full country name is the Republic of Malta. The total area of Malta is 320square kilometres. The capital of Malta is Valletta which has a total population of about 92 000. The total of Malta is only about 391 700.
Malta’s Gross Domestic Product is US$5.3billion; its GDP per Head is US$13,800. Annual gro

l growth is 4%. Malta’s major industries are Tourism, electronics, ship repair and construction. The major religion in Malta is Roman Catholic with 91% of its population.

The Maltese kitchen has much in common with its Sicilian neighbours. The two islands are only 60 miles apart and their climatic conditions; soil and fish are very similar. Pasta is a staple food of the Maltese family and though available, pre-packed and fresh in every village, many women still prefer the laborious job of preparing their own favourite "ravjul" (ravioli). Semi-circular pockets made from a semolina based pasta dough, filled with ricotta cheese and fresh parsley, served with a homemade tomato sauce flavoured with celery and fresh basil and sprinkled with coarsely grated parmesan cheese. "Ravjul" was originally one answer to the Church decree to abstain from meat on Fridays.

Over the past decades the Maltese diet has changed from one that is high in complex carbohydrates and low in fats, especially animal fats, to one that is high in total fats, especially animal fats, and low in complex carbohydrates. These changes are due to an increase in consumption of meat, milk and dairy, eggs and vegetable oils and a reduction in the consumption of cereals. Fruit, vegetable and fish consumption is increasing steadily. Sugar intake, especially in the form of confectionery and non-alcoholic beverages is high. Salt intake is higher than the recommended levels, as is the proportion of energy from total fats, saturated fats and sugar. Comparison of the “current” nutrient levels with the National Nutrient Goals indicates that the recommendations made in 1986 are still by and large applicable. The Maltese consumers should therefore be steered away from those foods where the fat, sugar and salt content are high, towards those in which these are low. Specifically, there should be a shift away from fatty meat, full fat dairy products and confectione