Mejeritekniskt Forum

Arla is ready with a new initiative towards food wasting. At the same time a new survey shows that the Swedes are good at using their senses instead of ”best-before-date”. This contributes to less waste of food.

In Sweden, 30-35% of all food produced is thrown away. To reduce food waste, Arla is opening a digital outlet where dairy products with a short shelf life are sold to reduced prices. The sale will take place on a new site, targeted at restaurants and shops.

Milk, yoghurt and other dairy products are fresh products with a best-before-date-label. But to reduce food wasting in the consumer link Arla – two years ago – launched the label ”often well after” to mark that, for example, the yoghurt has a significantly longer shelf life than what the best-before date states. A new survey conducted by Arla shows that Swedes are good at using their senses instead of the best-before-date to determine if the product is fresh.67 pct. say that they use their senses of sight, smell and taste. Read more HERE

The Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU) has received MSEK 48 for a new collaborative centre that will strengthen Sweden’s future food system.

The centre will identify and develop the role of animals for increased food production, sustainability and competitiveness.

– It will be very exciting to take a holistic approach to the role of animals, Sigrid Agenäs, professor at SLU, says.

– Food production must increase in Sweden, but at the same time become more sustainable, and the role of animals is important, she adds.

The new centre will work from a regional perspective and develop best practice to produce food in different parts of Sweden. What is ”best” will be determined by a number of different sustainability factors.

In a first phase, the researchers will study food production from grazing animals — mainly ruminants.

Read more about the new collaborative centre HERE

This Thursday, one of the dairy news was, that Västerbottensost – again – has been ranked as one of the strongest brands in Sweden. But Västerbottensost also hit the News feed last Thursday with the story about a new packing that can reduce the usage of plastic.

Norrmejerier has an ambitious plan to reduce the amount of plastic in its packaging. First step is to reduce the size of the bags for grated Västerbottensost. This will reduce the annually amount of plastic with 1.5 tonnes.

– We continuously optimize the packaging. Now we are able to take a step in the right direction by doing something as simple as reducing the size of the bag. The challenge ahead will be to replace today’s plastic packaging with other more sustainable materials, while we at the same time fulfil the standards for food safety, Lina Jonsson Product Manager for Västerbottensost, said last week.

This week it was her college Maria Forsner, Brand Manager for Västerbottensost, that was quoted in the medias — because Västerbottensost was ranked as number eight among the strongest bands in Sweden

– It is fantastic that Västerbottensost gets such a fine placement among Sweden’s strongest brands. We are incredibly grateful and humbled that we have been on YouGov’s list for several years. It inspires us to continue our dedicated work in Burträsk with this unique cheese, Maria Forsner said.

Read more about the ranking HERE – and more about the new packaging HERE

Which criteria are the most important when your municipality purchases food? This question Norrmejerier asked in a recent survey, and the answer from the municipalities was: Locally produced.

Last week this newsletter could tell about Grådö Dairy in Dalarna, that had received a large order from seven municipalities in its local area. A new survey from Norrmejerier shows that also municipalities in Norrland find locally produced foods important when they purchase for schools, preschools, nursing homes e.g.

– The public sector can make a major contribution to a stable food production in Sweden – with more jobs and a prosperous nature. Therefore it is good that so many municipalities say that want the food to be locally produced, Anna-Karin Karlsson, sustainability director at Norrmejerier, says.

In the survey 70 per cent of the responsible purchasers — in all municipalities in Jämtland, Norrbotten, Västerbotten and Västernorrland — answer that one of the three most important criteria when the municipality buys food is that the goods are produced in the same or nearby county. Swedish production (64 percent) and animal welfare (45 percent) are also stated as important criteria. The arguments for local production are, that it creates jobs, reduced climate impact and contribute to a higher degree of self-sufficiency.

The survey was conducted by Norrmejerier in September 2020 – read more HERE

Seven Municipalities in Dalerna signs a delivery agreement with the local dairy – Grådö Dairy in Hedemora

Grådö Dairy have signed a contract for the delivery of dairy goods to seven municipalities in Darlarna: Borlänge, Falun, Gagnef, Hedemora, Ludvika, Smedjebacken and Säter. The supply agreement started on the 1st of November and lasts for a year, Food-Supply notes referring to Dalarnas Tidningar.

The reason why the municipalities chose to cooperate with Grådö Dairy was, that the former wholesaler – the market hall in Sorunda’s warehouse and sales office in Mora – had to close down, due to poor sales as an effect of the corona pandemic. This meant, that municipalities had to find new suppliers, and picked Grådö Dairy as the supplier of dairy products.

– As a start we have agreed on a year. Then we hope that they like our products and will continue to buy, Staffan Eklöv, dairy manager at Grådö Dairy says to Dalarnas Tidningar.

Grådö Dairy has existed since 1953 – and since 2014 as a part of the company Falköpings Dairy.

Read more HERE

Livsmedelsföretagen has signed new collective agreements. Learn more in digital meetings – You can still make it but be quick.

On the 31st of October, Livsmedelsföretagen agreed on new collective agreements with the organization’s counterparts Livs, Unionen and Sveriges Ingenjörer. All the new agreements have a cost value of 5.4 percent and run for 29 months divided into two agreement periods. Salary revisions will take place on the 1st of November 2020 and on the 1st of April 2022.

To explain the content of the agreements, Livsmedelsföretagen’s chief negotiator has written a summary. And the organisation also invites to digital info-meetings today, Tuesday, the 10th of November. Read more HERE

The municipality of Boxholm recently bought the local, closed, dairy from Arla. Now the municipality has sold it on to ‘Glada Bonden’, which will restart dairy production in the building. Arla protests.

Wednesday, it was clear that the association Glada Bonden has bought Boxholm Dairy from the Municipality,

– I can confirm. This is a big day for Sweden’s farmers, Anders Birgersson, chairman of Glada Bonden, said to ATL, when the deal was a reality.

But already next day, Arla reacted by threatening to sue the municipality – partly due to a clause on the use of the dairy, partly because there still is uncertainty about some of the equipment.

– Our responsibility is our owners’ money. We will not accept that someone else takes over the machines we have in the property, Erik Bratthall, press manager at Arla Sweden said to ATL.

Glada Bonden is an economic association, with 60 farmers spread across southern and central Sweden. Their hope is to start production in the dairy in the beginning of 2021.

– We reckon to have a turnover of 1,5 mia. SEK within five years. We are planning for milk- and cheese production, but in a smaller scale compared to the dairy’s previous operations, Anders Birgersson told ATL

Read about Arla’s reaction HERE

Järvsö gårdsmjölk started its own production and distribution of milk in 2019. So far, it has been a success.

Järvsö gårdsmjölk and Göras Landbruk are run by Isabell Enkvist and Jon Görgård. Already last year, when they started the small-scale dairy, they received an award as Producer of the Year by the association MatVärdan in Gävleborg. The justification stated:

– They go against the flow and invest in milk production. Jon Görgård, who is the 13th generation in a straight line, runs together with Isabelle Enkvist, one of Järvsö’s oldest farms, where they produce both milk and meat. They have found a new way to satisfy the market for fresh milk – via a milk vending machine at ICA Järvsö, where you can buy milk under the Järvsö Gårdsmjölk-label.

In addition to the milk sale from the vending machine (which is currently out of order due to a fire in the ICA-store), the couple sells milk to local restaurants and ice cream factories. They achieve a milk price between 10 to 20 SEK per liters. The company states that they expect profitability in dairy production already next year.

The newsmedia ATL har visited the farm with eight dairy cows and a small-scale dairy. Read the article HERE

The northerners have voted for their favourite flavour in ‘julefilen’ – a special sour milk drink at Christmastime.

Norrmejerier launches their yearly ‘julefil’ next week. This year the flavours have been chosen by the northerners through a vote, and the winners were two Christmas classics: Crispy Caramel and Gingerbread. They will hit the stores in Norrbotten, Västerbotten, Västernorrrland and Jämtland from Monday.

– We know that our Christmas files have a special place on the table of the fil-loving northerners, so it is extra fun that the flavours we present this year are chosen by the northerners themselves, says Johannes Eriksson, Brand Manager at Norrmejerier.

Read more HERE

The shop and start-up company ‘Gårdshem’ in Umeå has developed an online cheese tasting event, that has increased the interest in local food. The owners have now received the Grand Tourism Award in Västerbotten 2020.

The company Gårdshem started by two young entrepreneurs Stefan Olsson and Christian Sjöland two years ago. And in March 2019 they opened a shop in Umeå. The shop sells locally produced products from farms, dairies, breweries and other food craftsmen in Västerbotten.

– Our concept is based on 100 percent local food and beverage, one of the owners Christian Sjöland states to Landlantbruk.se.

He also tells, that Gårdshem arrange cheese tasting— with only Norrland’s cheeses, but when corona struck, no one signed up to the events in the shop. Instead the two entrepreneurs – with inspiration from digital beer tasting – launched online cheese tasting.

The event got a lot of attention, which led to new customers.

Gårdshem has now received the Grand Tourism Award in Västerbotten 2020. Region Västerbotten writes in the justification that, ’when the pandemic put an end to Gårdshem’s usual food events and the number of customers dwindled, the company developed new concepts. They launched the world’s first online cheese tasting event, which since has been developed. The company also offered home delivery of groceries to customers, who could not visit the shop’.

Read more HERE