Tiina Mattila-Sandholm: Innovations and new types of co-operation bring improved performance to the food industry

Finnish consumers value Finnish products. A quick survey of the fresh produce offered at the supermarket reveals the international nature of the food industry. It is not a coincidence which product has the best shelf space and which sells the best. How will Finnish products fare in the increasingly competitive international markets?

The Finnish markets are limited. Finnish products compete against well-known global brands both at home and abroad. Internationalisation is both a great opportunity and an enormous challenge to Finnish products. Responding to international competition requires that the Finnish food industry, which operates well at national level, reviews its policies and practices. 

The meaning of innovations

The Finnish food industry needs to produce more innovations that will become successful products and that will also find their place in supermarkets abroad. Generating products of genuine innovation value requires that the research and development sector as well as the food industry and the authorities engage in constructive and more intensive collaboration and adopt new operative models.

Finland is a leading country in technology know-how and research, but it has also been challenged to make more effective use of its competence base. What is crucial is to rapidly create new operating models and actively facilitate peer-to-peer dialogue amongst research communities, the industry and authorities. 

Identifying strengths and strengthening the image

Normal Finnish milk would pass as organic produce in the United States. Food produced in Finland is safe, of high quality and more easily traceable than in any other country in the world. The strengths and know-how may be self-evident to us Finns but the key is to turn them into an international brand. We also have some way to go in terms of commercialising innovations and making even better use of them when entering international markets and promoting health. 

Eating ourselves healthy

People’s personal health depends in many cases on the conscious choices they make. The food industry has considerable responsibility and influence over consumers’ health-related choices. Promoting and maintaining health also affects the national economy. By combining research on health-promoting products and their industrial product development in a novel manner, we could achieve a healthier and better-tasting future. 

Tiina Mattila-Sandholm
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