A new Legal Entity of Public Law (LEPL), the National Gastronomy Agency, has officially begun operating under Georgia’s Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture following a government decree.

According to the ministry, the agency was established to protect, develop, and promote Georgia’s gastronomic heritage, enhance its international recognition, and formulate and implement a unified state policy for the gastronomy sector.

The ministry said that, at the initial stage, Deputy Minister of Environmental Protection and Agriculture Lasha Avaliani will temporarily serve as the agency’s acting head.

The National Gastronomy Agency will be responsible for researching, preserving, and promoting Georgia’s culinary heritage, improving the legal framework governing the sector, strengthening coordination between government institutions, the private sector, and other stakeholders, and increasing the competitiveness of local products in both domestic and international markets.

According to the ministry, the agency’s activities are expected to support regional development, diversify agriculture, and promote the commercialization of traditional local products, helping to increase rural incomes, strengthen local production, and stimulate economic development in rural areas.

The ministry also said the agency will play an important role in expanding Georgia’s tourism potential, particularly in agro-tourism and gastronomic tourism, while strengthening the protection and use of geographical indications and appellations of origin to safeguard the quality, authenticity, and reputation of Georgian products and increase consumer confidence.