New focus areas for New Nordic Food

Continued focus on New Nordic Food

The programme for New Nordic Food has been a great success and, through its initiatives, has been key to the development of a Nordic culinary culture. These initiatives have covered a variety of areas and engaged thousands of people. The Nordic Council of Ministers is now continuing its investment, with future activities to build on the experiences and networks of previous programmes. The priority is activities that are clearly linked to improved networking and branding, as well as the three specific focus areas: food in the public sector, a Nordic food award, and food and tourism. The first two areas will operate as independent projects.

Through these new focus areas, the Nordic Council of Ministers is seeking to democratise good food, as well as include the experiences of New Nordic Food more broadly in, for example, schools and hospitals.

“The Nordic Region is an international pioneer when it comes to food, and people travel here from across the globe to experience the region’s culinary culture. With these new focus areas, the Nordic Council of Ministers is seeking to democratise good food. The experiences of New Nordic Food will be included more broadly in, for example, schools and hospitals. Furthermore we have to get better at talking about innovative food producers and at buying Nordic produce. Democratisation is the next step for New Nordic Food,” says Mads Frederik Fischer-Møller, Senior Adviser at the Nordic Council of Ministers.

A Nordic model for food in the public sector

Food and meals in the public sector are a key element of the public welfare system in the Nordic countries and constitute a significant part of public budgets. There is great potential in working with public sector meals by seeing them as an investment in people and human health rather than an expense. The project “Nordic food in the public sector” examines how a Nordic model for public sector meals can be developed and integrated across borders and across sectors.  This year the project is being run by the Copenhagen House of Food and the Swedish National Food Agency in partnership with organisations and stakeholders in public sector food from across the Nordic Region.

Previous initiatives within public sector food have created a platform for Nordic co-operation, and the project will secure the continuity needed for continued development.

Seija Ahonen-Siivola, chief inspector at the Finnish Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry and chair of the New Nordic Food steering committee stresses:

“Food in the public sector is an increasingly important area in the food sector, and each of the Nordic countries has different expertise to offer. Earlier efforts within New Nordic Food have created a basis for co-operation and the exchange of experiences regarding food in the public sector. With this project, we want to safeguard the continuity needed for further development.”

Nordic food award

Nordic cuisine is a subject of interest not only in the Nordic Region, but also internationally. This interest is propelling the development of new and innovative flavours, products, and co-operation in and around the Nordic Region. The Nordic food award will contribute to a greater awareness of the quality and diversity of Nordic food and the people behind it. The prize categories will be broad in their scope, with the first competition to be held in Copenhagen in 2017 and rotated around the Nordic countries thereafter. The project is run jointly by the Nordic agricultural organisations.

The Nordic food award will contribute to a greater awareness of the quality and diversity of Nordic food and the people behind it.

“National food competitions are already held in the Nordic Region, such as the Eldrimner competition for food craftsmanship.  Through the Nordic food award, we want to expand this concept so that the competition has a broader reach in the food industry and so that the rules of the competition are drafted at a Nordic level. We also hope that international awareness and the platform can encourage new Nordic networks,” says Ahonen-Siivola.

About New Nordic Food in the Nordic Council of Ministers:
New Nordic Food is based on the Nordic Kitchen manifesto written in 2004 by twelve Nordic chefs, who made it clear that Nordic cuisine can compete with the best cuisine in the world. The following year, the Nordic Council of Ministers put New Nordic Food on the political agenda with the development of two programmes: New Nordic Food I (2006-2010) and New Nordic Food II (2010-2014). Work is now continuing through a new steering committee and a smaller annual budget.

Read more about:

• The new focus areas (www.newnordicfood.org)
• New Nordic Food programme
• New Nordic Kitchen manifesto

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