Food in Montenegro

Montenegro has 26,711 agricultural holdings and 248,234.2 hectares of used agricultural land recorded for 2024. Livestock production is dominant, and 92.3% of the agricultural area consists of permanent meadows and pastures. Farms and households supply meat, milk, cheese, vegetables, fruit and other products alongside retail shops and food businesses. Maize production reached 3,585.6 tonnes in 2024, while grape production increased by 3.6% compared with the previous year. The coast is associated with marine fish, Mediterranean produce, olives and wine. Central Montenegro and Zeta are known for fruit, vegetables and vineyards. The north and mountain areas rely more heavily on livestock, lamb and mutton, milk, meat, potatoes, forest products and katuns, which are seasonal mountain-pasture settlements. Regional foods include Njeguški pršut, skorup or kajmak, raštan, kačamak, pogača iz crepulje, Pljevaljski cheese, Njeguški cheese, Kolašin lisnati cheese and Krajina goat cheese. Fish dishes may use bleak, carp, trout or eel, including pan-fried carp and smoked dried carp. People obtain food through general retail, traditional restaurants, cafés, rural households and food and wine routes. Rural-household hospitality often serves regional dishes, but menus, prices and availability vary by municipality, season and tourism demand. In 2021, food and non-alcoholic beverages accounted for 37.1% of household consumption expenditure, while restaurants and hotels accounted for 2.6%. In July 2026, food and non-alcoholic beverage prices rose 0.7% month on month and 2.2% year on year; the January-to-July increase was 2.5%. Restaurant and accommodation prices rose 4.4% month on month, 5.4% year on year and 4.7% over January to July. No single nationwide meal-price benchmark covers local differences, so current local prices need to be checked directly. Food safety in Montenegro covers production, processing, sale and consumption. The Food Safety Act published in Official Gazette 59/2026 took effect on May 12, 2026. Food businesses must meet safety and information duties, maintain controls and traceability, and provide accurate, readable and non-misleading information. Unpackaged food must include relevant information such as allergens, although the presentation format is not uniform. The Administration for Food Safety, Veterinary and Phytosanitary Affairs, known as UBHVFP, organizes official controls. Nutrition policy includes preschool food standards issued in 2024 by the Ministry of Education, Science and Innovation together with the Institute for Public Health of Montenegro. A 2025 school scheme provides free fruit, vegetables, milk and milk products in eligible schools and supports school gardens. Montenegro does not have a current comprehensive national dietary-intake dataset in the available evidence, so expenditure data and institutional meal standards do not by themselves describe what the whole population eats. Organic production is legally regulated and controlled through registered producers and other approved participants. The Agriculture and Rural Areas Strategy 2023–2028 addresses safe food, natural-resource management, rural economies, knowledge transfer and transparent policy. The Organic Production Strategic Plan 2025–2029 aims to expand production, markets, institutions and support. The Fisheries Strategy 2024–2029 and a 2026 marine-aquaculture call address hygiene, ecological production, innovation and animal welfare; aquaculture support is limited to companies or entrepreneurs with a valid permit. A geographical indication protects the established link between a food and its place of origin. In Montenegro, a geographical-indication application costs EUR 32, authorised-user registration costs EUR 50, and the status is valid for five years with renewal available.