Responsible and low-carbon food products (VHH)

What has been achieved in the project?

The Responsible and low-carbon food products -project (VHH) has helped micro- and small- and medium-sized food companies in South Ostrobothnia, as well as processing farms, to develop their products and operating methods to be more sustainable and low-carbon. The core of the project was practical development based on the companies' own needs from product development to communication and opening new sales channels.

Measures:

- Businesses and consumers were brought together at, for example, food tasting events and consumer panels. The feedback collected in these helped develop products in terms of prescription, packaging and sustainability communications.

- At the Minihackathon, students solved companies' communication challenges and brought fresh, cost-effective ideas to highlight responsibility.

- At local food dating events, small food companies met retailers, buyers in the HORECA industry and professional kitchens, which opened up new distribution channels and strengthened regional cooperation.

- One example of the impact of the project is the Kurikka-based Hunaja Moment Ltd, which developed its pollen chocolate with SEAMK experts to become more domestic, responsible and low-carbon. Product development resulted in a more responsible and competitive product, the reduction of whose carbon footprint could be demonstrated through calculations.

Tools and Guides:

The Responsible and Low Carbon Food Production checklist was developed as a practical tool for micro and small businesses in the food industry to facilitate the development of responsibility and low carbon in the midst of everyday life. It can be used to identify the current strengths of a company's sustainable operations and the next steps in development. It helps to evaluate operations through four themes logistics, process, packaging and marketing communications and to find concrete areas for development at the everyday level. Check out the checklist below!

A good example for other food provinces:

The VHH project serves as a regional good example of developing the sustainability of the food sector in South Ostrobothnia. The practical and business-oriented sustainability and responsibility checklist developed for food companies in the project has also received international attention: it has been presented and approved as good practice (Good Practice) by the Interreg Europe-funded FISSH project (Food Industry SMEs Sustainability Support and Help) from South Ostrobothnia to other European provinces. This strengthens the role of the Food Province of South Ostrobothnia as a forerunner and a trailblazer in promoting responsibility and low-carbonization of the food system.