Government Report on Food Policy: Food 2030 – Finland feeds us and the world.

The present report is a primary document of Finnish national food policy, setting out policy objectives and key priorities of activities into the future. It sets the following objectives: • to increase the appreciation of food; • to strengthen Finland’s country brand through high quality food and food tourism; • to ensure consumer-focused, responsible food production and distribution; • to improve the competence, profitability, productivity, sustainability and competitiveness of the food system based on domestic resources; • to play its part in achieving climate and environmental targets; • to develop and support the food sector so that Finnish food is attractive to consumers in Finland and abroad; • to strengthen the role of government as an enabler of the functioning of the food system; • to promote the availability and production of food that is tasty, safe, highly nourishing and reasonably priced; and • to increase collaboration among actors in the food sector.
The report is divided into seven sections. Each of them lists the most important measures which are needed in order to achieve the Report's objectives. The sections are: 1. Primary production; 2. Routes for food from field to table become more diversified; 3. Research, advice and training; 4. Food culture and appreciation of food; 5. Food and public health; 6. Food security and security of supply; 7. Competitiveness.
Section 1 contemplates, among other things: • Ensuring flexibility in adapting the CAP support system to Finland's needs; • Taking the objectives of sustainable food production and changes in consumer demand into account when planning the support system; • Improving the long-term care of fields by promoting the addition of soil carbon, nutrient recycling and water economy management etc; • Preventing and combating animal diseases and plant pests as well as improving animal welfare so that the basic conditions for plant and livestock production can be ensured; • Safeguarding the operating conditions for the fishing industry by ensuring sustainable use and management of fish resources; • Collecting natural products more efficiently and expand the collection areas of organic products.
Section 2 contemplates, among other things: • Directing food sector resources not only to physical investments but increasingly also to research, development and innovation; • Developing regional and local food systems and diverse distribution channels; • Ensuring that the authorities have sufficient resources to oversee online shopping and other distance sales and for the development of oversight measures; • Creating new operating models to combat food fraud in collaboration with the police, customs, prosecution service, tax administration and the food authorities; • Ensuring that food advertising is responsible and complies with the set guidelines; • Examining the opportunities and tools to safeguard the operation of village shops
Section 3 contemplates, among other things: • Securing and developing high quality and multi-disciplinary basic and continuing education for the food sector; • Ensuring adequate public and private sector funding for research and development; • Responding to the diverse skills needs by offering training for all levels of the food system; • Creating a common administration for the food research strategy and link it to the existing Strategic Agenda for Food Research; • Ensuring sufficient monitoring, research and risk assessment of animal diseases, plant pests and soil nutrients; • Promoting research which would help in using health claims in foods.
Section 4 contemplates, among other things: • Promoting food education more prominently by including food and nutrition perspectives, as well as sustainable development perspectives in preschool education, upper secondary education, and teacher education; • Supporting consumer skills by means of different campaigns that increase food and purchasing awareness; • Reducing waste in the food chain by increasing appreciation of food and improving measurement and the monitoring of the amount of food wasted in the food chain.
Section 5 contemplates, among other things: • Investigating the possibilities of using taxation to steer citizens’ consumption habits as well as product development towards foods that are better quality with respect to nourishment; • Ensuring a good level of food safety in Finland as a key advantage for our exports; • Strengthen the role of the regions in promoting healthy nutrition and encourage municipalities to observe nutrition recommendations in their procurement as well as making qualified nutrition therapists’ services available to the public.
Section 6 contemplates, among other things: • Reducing dependence on fossil fuel raw materials by increasing the use of bio-energy and other renewable energies; • Boosting domestic protein production, increasing the efficiency and diversity of the use of domestic protein for feed, and expanding the direct use of domestic plant protein as human food while providing incentives for food sector players to engage in innovative product development; • Ensuring that there are effective preventative measures to stop the spread of new plant diseases and infectious animal diseases.
Section 7 contemplates, among other things: • Developing programmes and training aimed at export skills; • Developing digital systems that support exports and international trade; • Striving to reduce administrative and technical obstacles to trade in the export market; • In bilateral trade negotiations, promoting the adoption of responsible production methods that correspond to those in the EU; • Communicating to young people about the food sector and the different jobs it provides to safeguard the sector’s future in Finland.