The document outlines Finland's commitment to sustainability within its food chain, highlighting initiatives aimed at ecological responsibility, product safety, and local economic impact. It discusses various government programs promoting organic production, reducing food waste, and improving animal welfare, as well as the importance of nutrition in addressing public health issues. The rural development program for 2014-2020 aims to enhance environmental measures, animal welfare, and organic production, supporting Finland's overarching sustainability goals.

1. Sustainability as a national
priority in the Finnish food chain
Jaana Husu-Kallio
Permanent Secretary
Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry
ERIAFF Conference 2014
12.6.2014

2. Sustainability in the food chain
• Ecological responsibility
• Product safety
• Nutrition
• Well-being at work
• Animal welfare
• Economic responsibility
• Local impact
CSR in the food supply chain – Description
of an interactive process in constructing the
content of CSR. Forsman-Hugg et al. MTT
Agrifood Research Finland, Economic
Research 2009 (Maa- ja elintarviketalous
140)
Photo: Riitta Supperi / Keksi / Team Finland

3. Ecological responsibility
• Several initiatives and projects in Finland to reduce the
ecological footprint in food production and consumption
• Most farmers were committed to the agri-environmental
support scheme (2007–2013)
– As a result of this, e.g. the P balance has decreased by
81% and the N balance by 41% from 1995
• Even more emphasis on environmental issues in the Rural
Development Programme for Mainland Finland 2014–
2020

4. Ecological responsibility
Examples of other actions in Finland:
• Government Resolution on the national water protection objectives
– The objective is to reduce load from agriculture by at least a third by
2015 (as compared to 2001–2005)
• Government Programme to promote organic production
• Government Programme on local food
• Actions to reduce energy consumption
– National Climate and Energy Strategy
– Farm Energy Programme
• Government Resolution on the promotion of sustainable environmental and
energy solutions (cleantech) in public procurement

5. Ecological responsibility
– organic production
Organic production in Finland
• Organic production area is increasing; 9% at the moment
• Average size of organic farms is 48.9 ha (= greater than that of
conventional farms)
• Sales of organic food increased by 24% in 2012 (twice as much as that
of conventional food)
– Market share of organic food is still small, 1.6%.
• In organic product exports the most important sector is the cereal sector
– 60% is exported
Government Programme to promote organic production aims to:
• Increase organic production to meet the consumer demand
• Increase the range of organic products
• Increase the supply of organic products to consumers as well as
restaurants and mass caterers

6. Ecological responsibility –
food waste
• Food waste is waste of money
and resources and contributes
to climate change due to
increase in greenhouse gases.
• Food waste is a worldwide
challenge.
– Average waste in North America
95–115 kg/person /year
– European average is
76 kg/person/year
– Finland 23 kg/person/year
• We can be proud of the low
figure, but we need to continue
the work to reduce food waste:
every crumb counts!
27 %
35 %
18 %
20 %
Food waste in the Finnish
food chain is 335–460
million kg/year (10–15% of
all food consumed in
Finland)
Industry
Households
Retail
Catering

7. Ecological responsibility –
food waste
Food chain can continue to reduce food waste
and improve cost-efficiency.
• Novel by-product development (especially
industry).
• Accurate demand planning and product
management (industry and retail).
– If planning fails: donate the food, do not
waste! This also applies to the catering
business.
– Finnish Food Safety Authority (Evira) has
given guidelines on how to donate food.
Household food waste is addressed by multiple
stakeholders, e.g. the Consumer’s Union of
Finland.
• Week 37 in September is dedicated to food
waste reduction. Photo: Liisi Reitalu – norden.org

8. Product safety
Future food safety challenges to be met together:
1. Globalization
2. Food chain; network of actors
3. Nutritional challenges
All these three are considered as challenges for the
near future and action is taken to guarantee a high
standard of food safety.

9. Product safety – Food safety
is top class in Finland
• Result of long-term commitment of all
players in the food chain.
• The base of food safety lies in primary
production: safe food originates from healthy
plants and a high standard of animal
husbandry, including welfare.
• Responsible use of fertilizers and minimal
use of plant protection products+ prudent
use of antibiotics.
• National Salmonella Control Programme
since 1995 covers bovines, poultry and pigs,
and their meat and eggs, and has reduced
the incidence of salmonella to <1%.
– zero-tolerance policy for feed
Photo: MMM archives

10. Product safety – Food control
starts in primary production
• Operators in the food chain
have the main responsibility.
• Food control is the
responsibility of municipal
veterinarians and health
inspectors.
• Traceability of the products is
important from the ‘field to fork’.
• Traceability is also a consumer
right!

11. Product safety
Oiva is the novel way to inform about the
control results.
• Retail and catering sectors have their control
results published by the Finnish Food Safety
Authority Evira.
• Expanded to cover the whole food sector by
2015.
Photo: Evira

12. • In developing responsibility focus has been on the pigmeat and
fruit and vegetable sectors.
– Healthcare system for primary production of pigmeat
(SIKAVA) has been constructed as a national quality system
and audited by a third party.
 Approved by the Finnish Food Safety Authority Evira as
the first national quality system in Finland in summer
2013.
 The national quality system for pigmeat was certified by
the Bureau Veritas in winter 2014.
– Project concerning quality systems for vegetables under way.
• In the future national quality systems likely to be designed for
beef, poultry and cereal sectors.
Product safety – Responsibility can be defined
as action beyond statutory requirements

13. Nutrition as a sustainability
factor in the food chain
• Obesity and other food-related non-communicable
diseases (NCD) are a growing problem all over the
world.
• In Finland obesity and other lifestyle-related diseases
cost over 2 billion euros annually.
 Heavy burden on our society
• All players in the food chain have a role to play to
tackle the issue.

14. Corporate nutrition responsibility
is part of social responsibility
• Including nutrition in company strategies.
• Product development towards healthier choices:
less sugar, salt and saturated fats, with products
entitled to carry the Heart symbol as the aim.
– Heart symbol is granted to products with good
nutritional characteristics.
– Heart symbol is well known among consumers.
• Clear and accurate product labeling to enhance
consumer choice.
• Responsible marketing communication.
– Products for everyday consumption have a good
nutritional profile.
– Special care of vulnerable groups, e.g. children.

15. Well-being at work
• Finland has comprehensive legislation on working hours,
annual holidays, sick leaves and work safety
• In the agriculture sector there is a relief service for farmers.
– The most comprehensive system for cattle farmers =>
annual holidays, substitute help and relief service
subject to a charge
• The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry has also addressed
the topic of well-being
– State aid granted by the Ministry to rural advisory
organisations
 Organisations arrange among other things actions
regarding farmers’ occupational health and well-
being and coping at work.
– Other actions funded by the Ministry:
 Food chain project aid granted to organisations –
also projects focused on restaurant and mass
caterer employees and their well-being Photo: MMM archives

16. Animal welfare
• Overhaul of animal welfare
legislation is under way
• Finland’s first Animal Welfare
Ombudsman appointed last autumn
• Finnish Centre for Animal Welfare
EHK functions as a national network
in animal welfare issues
• Livestock sectors active in the work
on responsibility
Photo: MMM archives

17. Animal health
• Neither salmonella nor campylobacter are problems in the
Finnish livestock sector
• Use of antimicrobials for farm animals is low compared to other
countries
• A new Animal Diseases Act entered into force on 1 January
2014. Operators bear the primary responsibility for protecting
the health of their animals
• Finnish primary producers have since 15 years ago developed
quality assurance schemes for pigs, cattle and poultry, with a
view of protecting the animals from serious infectious diseases
• The poultry sector has developed its own system for protecting
animal health. As a result, Finnish poultry remains free of most
infectious diseases and no vaccination is used against
Newcastle disease.

18. Economic responsibility
• Food chain as a whole employs about 300 000 Finns; 12% of
the total labour force
• Finnish food sector employs
– more than 80 000 raw material producers
– about 40 000 people in food and raw material processing
– at least 70 000 people in wholesale and retail business
– about 60 000 restaurant and catering professionals
• In addition, a large number of people work in transportation and
logistics
18.6.2014 18

19. Economic responsibility –
Local impact
*The local food sector is growing in Finland
Government Programme on local food has the following objectives:
• Increase and diversify the production of local food; more highly processed local foods
• Improve the opportunities for small-scale food processing and sale
• Increase the share of local food in public procurement
• Improve the opportunities of primary production
• Closer collaboration between actors in the local food sector
• Improve the appreciation of food and actors in the food chain
Local aspect in the food chain = local food comprises the presentation of food culture of
the regions, use of local raw materials and bringing the producer and consumer
closer to each other
Raw materials the most commonly used as local food - berries, vegetables, whole-grain
milling products (rye in particular) - are core elements of a diet constructed upon
responsibility

20. Rural Development Programme
for Mainland Finland 2014-2020
An important tool to develop sustainability in the Finnish food sector;
includes e.g. payments for environment measures, measures to
enhance animal welfare and measures to develop organic production.
The programme impacts for example on:
• agricultural greenhouse gas and ammonia emissions
• nutrient balances
• amounts of plant protection products used
• changes in energy use and energy sources of farms and enterprises
• abundance of animals representing the local breeds and local arable crops
or landrace varieties
• number of organic food enterprises
• number of shortcomings detected in animal welfare inspections on farms

21. Rural Development Programme
for Mainland Finland 2014-2020
Payments to environmental measures (1.6 billion euros in total)
• Targeted measures to control water pollution, enhance biodiversity,
promote soil condition and productivity, and mitigate climate change and
adapt to it
• Environment commitments: measures concerning the amount of nutrients
used at the level of individual farms and parcel-specific optional measures
• Environment contracts: targeted measures for wetland management and
biodiversity sites and for the rearing of local breeds
• Gene bank actions
Payments to animal welfare measures
=> Developing proactive healthcare and well-being of farm animals in
Finland: cattle, pigs, goats and poultry
=> Conditions regarding e.g. the housing, handling and treatment, grazing,
enrichment and pain relief for farm animals

22. Rural Development Programme
for Mainland Finland 2014-2020
Payments to organic production (326 million euros in total)
– Compliance with the conditions for organic plant
production practice and participating in the control
system.
– Applies to the farm as a whole but a separate contract
can be concluded for horticulture products grown in the
open.
Organic livestock production
– Minimum number of animals on the farm 0.3 LU/ha.
– Organic farms may commit to most of the conditions
relating to the environment and animal welfare payment

23. Photos: MMM archivet

24. Thank you for your attention!
For more information please visit www.mmm.fi.