Finnish food program discusses further collaboration with China

Food from Finland 2022 Sustainable Agriculture and Food Conference was held online in late September, discussing the sustainable development of Finnish agriculture and its food industry, carbon neutrality practices as well as Finnish food collaboration with Chinese business.

The event kicked off the fourth China Road show organized by the Food from Finland program, which has been operating since 2014.

During the conference, Finland's solid efforts and initial results in sustainable agriculture and green transformation of the food industry from various perspectives, including government policymaking and ecological chain building, agricultural production and trade promotion, were introduced.

Aulikki Hulmi, director of International Affairs, Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry of Finland, said food is a fundamental element in Finland's reputation as the one of the happiest countries.

"The current food, energy and economic crisis demonstrate that food security is the cornerstone of our societies. We have to find ways to produce food and use natural resources in a sustainable way, in order to secure welfare for the future generations," Hulmi said.

According to Soile Kauranen, deputy head of mission of embassy of Finland in Beijing, Finnish food exports to China have increased during the past five years, and in 2021 they reached a value of 148 million euros ($144 million).

"In spite of the pandemic, the cooperation between Finland and China has been active and diverse in both private and public sectors. Sustainability is one of the key themes that can create new collaborations and new opportunities, also in food sector," Kauranen said.

"The Finnish food industry strives for carbon neutrality and aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 75 percent by 2035. We know that China is determined to find ways to reach its climate targets, and we believe Finland and Finnish companies have a lot to offer in this field," she added.

Finnish food products including pork, alcohol, cereal products, dairy products and berry products were introduced to China market during the event.

The Food from Finland program is a government funded program, operated by Business Finland, which is participating in building a sustainable food industry in Finland.