Taste of Vitality on Lošinj: more than 90 certified delicacies connect island cuisine, health and the destination experience
At the Museum of Apoxyomenos in Mali Lošinj, on May 27, 2026, the presentation of the Taste of Vitality project and the awarding of certificates to Lošinj hospitality providers were held, whose dishes connect local gastronomy, the concept of vitality and contemporary nutritional guidelines. According to the data presented at the event, this year's Taste of Vitality label is carried by more than 90 delicacies from the offer of 18 hospitality establishments. This is a continuation of the project through which Lošinj's tourism and hospitality offer seeks to further profile itself through a combination of authentic island ingredients, balanced nutrition and the destination experience.
The project is implemented by the Tourist Board of the Town of Mali Lošinj in cooperation with Abisal – Gastronaut Club, nutritionists and Lošinj hospitality providers. At its center are dishes based on local ingredients, but also on preparation rules which, according to the concept of the project, should preserve the nutritional value of the ingredients and contribute to a feeling of energy after a meal. In this way, gastronomy is viewed not only as part of a restaurant offer, but also as a continuation of the broader identity of Lošinj as an island of vitality.
The awarding of certificates was held in the space of the Museum of Apoxyomenos, one of the most recognizable cultural points of Mali Lošinj. The museum is dedicated to the ancient bronze statue of Apoxyomenos, a unique find from the Lošinj aquatory, and according to the museum's data, the statue was found in the seabed near the island of Vele Orjule and has become an important symbol of the island's cultural heritage. The choice of such a space for presenting a gastronomic project additionally connects the cultural, health and tourism image of the destination.
A label for dishes that combine local ingredients and nutritional criteria
Taste of Vitality is being developed as a gastronomic label that points to dishes designed with an emphasis on the balance of ingredients, method of preparation and nutritional value. The Croatian Tourist Board stated in an earlier announcement that the label refers to food rich in nutrients that supports general well-being and energy levels, with an emphasis on essential vitamins, minerals and other nutrients. In the same context, it was emphasized that with certified dishes, the method of cooking and food preparation is monitored in particular.
At the Lošinj presentation, it was emphasized that certified dishes do not depart from the island's gastronomic foundation. Among them are numerous dishes made from crabs, fish and shellfish from the Lošinj aquatory, as well as dishes made from island lamb and game. Their flavors are additionally connected with Lošinj aromatic herbs, which are an important part of the local identity and the tourist interpretation of the island. In this way, the project relies on recognizable ingredients and scents of the island landscape, but places them in a more contemporary gastronomic framework.
According to the information presented, ingredients for certified dishes are selected carefully, and preparation methods are designed so that the nutritional value of the food is preserved as much as possible. Such an approach is especially important in tourism, where the gastronomic offer is increasingly connected with active holidays, staying in nature and interest in local products. For Lošinj, which has for years presented itself as a destination of vitality, certified dishes become an additional tool for explaining that position through a concrete experience on the plate.
18 hospitality establishments included in the project
According to the data presented at the certificate awarding, this year the Taste of Vitality label is carried by dishes from 18 Lošinj hospitality establishments. The project includes restaurant Artatore, Baracuda gostionica, Bora Bar trattoria & tartuferia, Borik Beach Restaurant, Breakfast Club Lošinj, konoba Corrado, Diana Steakhouse, Deveron Gastro Pub, restaurant Pinia within Lječilište Veli Lošinj, konoba Mare, Moby Dick Gelateria, restaurant Noštromo, restaurant Papa Bepi, Ridimutak beach bar, konoba Silvana, restaurant Veli žal, restaurant Olea in Vitality hotel Punta and restaurant Za kantuni.
The list of included establishments shows that the project does not rely on only one type of hospitality offer. Restaurants, konobas, beach bars, a gastro pub, confectionery offer and establishments connected with hotel and health facilities take part in it. Such a range enables the Taste of Vitality label to appear in different situations in which a guest comes into contact with local gastronomy, from a classic restaurant meal to a more relaxed coastal offer.
An important element of the project is also its communication value. At the presentation, participants were told how to use the label in conversation with guests and in the promotion of Lošinj as an island where vitality is connected with the climate, the sea, nature and gastronomy. In this way, the certificate is not reduced only to a professional label, but becomes part of a broader story that hospitality providers can convey to visitors through menus, recommendations and interpretation of ingredients.
Lošinj builds its gastronomic identity on health, nature and authenticity
For years, Lošinj has been developing its tourism identity around the concept of vitality. In its announcements about the project, the Croatian Tourist Board recalls that the island is positioned through its mild climate, clean air, medicinal and aromatic herbs, sunny days, and walking and cycling trails. Within such a framework, gastronomy becomes a natural continuation of the destination story, especially when it is based on local ingredients and dishes that can be linked to the Mediterranean way of eating.
This year's meeting at the Museum of Apoxyomenos also had the broader goal of connecting local stakeholders. The organizers presented the project as a joint tool for strengthening the quality of the guest experience and extending the stay in the destination. Such an approach is important for island destinations because competitiveness is less and less based only on accommodation and natural beauty, and increasingly on experiences that guests can have during their stay. In this context, accommodation offers on Lošinj are also useful for visitors planning to explore the island's gastronomic and outdoor offer.
The director of the Tourist Board of the Town of Mali Lošinj, Dalibor Cvitković, project manager Prof. Karin Mimica from Gastronaut, and Mag. Nutr. Diana Gluhak Spajić, author of the Healthy Meal Standard responsible for the nutritional part of the project, addressed the hospitality providers and guests. Their participation shows that the project is developing at the intersection of tourism, gastronomy and a professional nutritional approach. Such a combination is important because today's guest increasingly seeks a credible story behind the product, and not just a declarative label on the menu.
The Festival of Lošinj Cuisine and the broader Kvarner context
Taste of Vitality is also connected with the Festival of Lošinj Cuisine, an event that in 2026 was held from April 30 to May 31. According to the announcement by the portal Gradonačelnik.hr, this year's 18th Festival of Lošinj Cuisine was focused on the theme of the taste of vitality, and during it Lošinj hospitality establishments offered menus with the Taste of Vitality label. The same announcement points out that local ingredients, the Mediterranean way of life, health and authentic island gastronomy are at the center of the event.
The importance of the project is additionally read through the context of Kvarner as the European Region of Gastronomy 2026. According to official IGCAT information, Kvarner holds the title European Region of Gastronomy 2026, and this label is awarded to regions that connect gastronomy with cultural heritage, sustainable tourism, local identity and stakeholder cooperation. The Lošinj project fits into that framework because it seeks to connect hospitality providers, the tourist board, local ingredients, education and the recognizability of the destination.
Such a context gives the project additional visibility beyond the island itself. Gastronomy becomes one of the ways in which Kvarner presents itself as a region of different local identities, from the coast and islands to the Gorski Kotar hinterland. For Lošinj, it is particularly important that the gastronomic offer can build on the already established image of a destination of health, active holidays and natural resources.
Young chefs, local wines and the indigenous Sansigot variety
After the presentation of the project and the awarding of certificates, a culinary presentation by students of Ambroz Haračić Secondary School was held. Their participation was highlighted by the organizers as an important sign of the future of Lošinj gastronomy. The inclusion of young people in such programs has practical and symbolic value: students get the opportunity to work in the real context of a destination project, while the local community shows that the development of gastronomy does not depend only on existing restaurants, but also on new generations of hospitality staff.
The event also presented wines by local winemaker Komadina, among which is Sansigot, a wine made from an indigenous Lošinj variety. The inclusion of local wine in the program further confirms the intention that Taste of Vitality should not be viewed in isolation, but as part of a broader island offer. Food, wine, herbs, the sea and stories about local producers together create an experience that can be more recognizable than an individual restaurant dish.
Gastronomy in tourist destinations today increasingly has the role of interpreting a place. When a guest tastes fish from the local aquatory, a dish seasoned with island herbs or wine from an indigenous variety, they encounter elements that can hardly be replicated in another destination. Precisely this difference is important for Lošinj, which through Taste of Vitality is trying to connect recognizable natural resources with hospitality practice and a story about health.
The certificate as a tool for better communication with guests
One of the messages of the presentation was that the modern guest increasingly seeks authentic experiences, local ingredients, nature and gastronomy connected into a unique destination experience. Taste of Vitality is therefore not only a label for a dish, but also a communication tool. It can help hospitality providers explain more clearly why a certain dish is special, where the ingredients come from, how it was prepared and how it fits into the Lošinj story of vitality.
For the guest, such a label is useful if it is credible and presented in an understandable way. It can make choosing a dish easier, especially for people who want a lighter, locally inspired and nutritionally balanced meal. At the same time, the label should not replace the quality of cooking or the authenticity of flavors, but additionally explain them and make them more visible. That is precisely why cooperation between hospitality providers, nutritionists and tourism experts is important.
According to earlier data from the Croatian Tourist Board, the first awarding of the Taste of Vitality label in 2024 included 54 dishes and 6 drinks from the offer of 16 hospitality establishments. Compared with those initial figures, this year's presentation with more than 90 delicacies from 18 establishments shows that the project has expanded and gained greater scope among Lošinj hospitality providers. In this way, the label is gradually growing from a promotional novelty into a recognizable part of the local gastronomic offer.
From a gastronomic label to an identity element of the destination
In recent years, the Taste of Vitality project has outgrown the framework of a single gastronomic label and become one of the recognizable identity elements of Lošinj. Its strength stems from the fact that it does not rely only on a declarative claim about healthy food, but seeks to connect multiple layers of the destination: nature, climate, aromatic herbs, the sea, local products, the knowledge of hospitality providers and nutritional guidelines.
All online posts related to Lošinj as a destination of gastronomy and a vital way of life are united under the hashtag #TasteofVitality. Such a digital framework can help promote the project, but its long-term value will primarily depend on the quality of dishes, consistency of criteria and the ability of hospitality providers to convincingly present to guests what the label means. If that combination is maintained, Taste of Vitality can remain one of the tools by which Lošinj differentiates its offer from other Mediterranean destinations.
At the end of the presentation, it was emphasized that vitality on Lošinj is experienced not only through the climate, the sea and nature, but also through gastronomy. Precisely this idea is the backbone of the project: that the island way of life can be recognized in dishes that preserve local character, but meet the expectations of guests seeking a high-quality, balanced and content-rich destination experience.
Sources:
- Supplied original text – data from the presentation of the Taste of Vitality project and the awarding of certificates at the Museum of Apoxyomenos on May 27, 2026.
- Croatian Tourist Board – announcement on the awarding of the Lošinj Taste of Vitality label and the project criteria (link)
- Croatian Tourist Board – announcement on the Taste of Vitality – Lošinj Food Festival project and the role of the Mali Lošinj Tourist Board, Gastronaut and the nutritional standard (link)
- Gradonačelnik.hr – information on the 18th Festival of Lošinj Cuisine 2026 and menus with the Taste of Vitality label (link)
- IGCAT / European Region of Gastronomy – official information on Kvarner as the European Region of Gastronomy 2026 (link)
- Museum of Apoxyomenos – official information on Apoxyomenos and the cultural significance of the museum (link)