Finnish championships in artisanal food in October

News - Published 25.5.2016

Finland holds the Presidency in the Nordic Council of Ministers in 2016. During the Presidency there are several food-related events, with the artisanal food contest as the largest one. These Finnish championships, open to participants from all the Nordic countries, will be organised at the Novia University of Applied Sciences in Ekenäs, Raseborg on 10–13 October 2016.

 The contest is open to all Nordic producers of artisanal food. The products to be entered must be available for sale and meet the contest requirements. Registration is open from 25 May to 26 August 2016.

Food artisans are a growing group of craftsmen in the Nordic countries. They make unique, high-quality special products, with the recipes often founded on local food traditions. Most of the raw material is also local and the processing takes place in a small scale on farms or in small business enterprises. The food is characterised by the presence of the human hand and craftsmanship all through the production chain.

The contest is organised with the aim to make artisanal food better known to the consumers and boost the development of the field. The contest hopes to encourage food artisans in their work and inspire them to further develop their business and products.

The championships are contested with the following product categories: dairy, meat, fish, bakery, berry and fruit, vegetable and mushroom products, cold condiments and sauces, fermented beverages, snacks, and innovative artisanal products.

The contest is organised by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, together with the Kustens Mat project group. Most of the funding for the event comes from the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry.

During the championships there will also be mini-seminars on artisanal food and visits to food companies in western Uusimaa. This programme is open to all contestants and the general public. The programme culminates with the awards ceremony and gala dinner at Fiskars Village on Wednesday 12 October.

For more information visit https://www.novia.fi/mathantverkfm/en/

Inquiries:
Seija Ahonen-Siivola, Coordinator of food events during the Finnish Presidency, Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, tel. +358 295 162 173, firstname.lastname@mmm.fi
Ann-Louise Erlund, University of Applied Sciences Novia, practical information about the contest, tel. +358 44 799 8406, firstname.lastname@novia.fi