2012-01-30
Fazer to use more organic products at its restaurants
Fazer will increase its use of organic products starting from 1st February when nearly 550 staff and school restaurants of Fazer will adopt the Steps to Organic programme for professional kitchens. The restaurants comprise 480 Amica restaurants, more than 50 restaurants of Blue Service Partners, a subsidiary of Fazer Food Services, and about 10 student restaurants of the joint venture Sonaatti.
”The goal of increasing the use of locally produced and organic ingredients is natural for a responsible company such as Fazer. Our customers are also becoming increasingly interested in using organic products. In fact, we want to provide our lunch customers the opportunity to make natural choices on a daily basis," says Marianne Nordblom, Director of Product Development at Fazer Food Services.
Many organic breads from Fazer
As a rule, the restaurants will go to organic step 2. This means that at least two significant organic ingredients are used at least twice a week all year round. Organic bread will be available: either different kinds of organic bread by Fazer, or bread baked at the restaurant which contains organic wheat flour and oil, for example. In addition, the restaurants will replace all regular flakes with organic ones. Flakes are used, among other purposes, in porridges and baking.
Many of the organic Fazer breads to be offered at restaurants are new products. Consumers’ interest in organic products has increased, and as many as 13 per cent of them say that they use organic quality as a selection criterion. An example of the new organic breads to be served at restaurants is Oululainen Luomu Jälkiuunilimppu, a dark rye bread with no additives and preservatives.
Depending on the school-specific selections, the goal for Amica restaurants located in comprehensive schools and upper secondary schools is to gradually go to step 1 or 2 of the programme during 2012. A number of selected Amica staff restaurants will go to organic step 3 (or are already there), which means that they use at least four organic ingredients at the restaurant on a regular basis.
The organic products available vary by restaurant and the organic options are clearly marked. A certificate displayed at the restaurant indicates to customers the organic step the restaurant is currently on.
Fazer Food Services also takes a positive attitude towards increasing the use of organic products in the future. "We are monitoring the preferences of our customer companies and diners. At the moment, however, the limited availability of organic products is a challenge for a large national operation like us. We also continuously have to review the prices and quality of products and ingredients," says Ms Nordblom.
The goal of the Steps to Organic programme, managed by the EkoCentria of the Savo Vocational College, is to promote sustainable development and encourage professionals kitchens to use organic ingredients more extensively. For more details about the Steps to Organic programme, log on to: www.portaatluomuun.fi.
More information, Fazer Food Services Finland:
Marianne Nordblom, Director, Product Development, tel. +358 400 605 778
Leila Fogelholm, Nutrition Specialist, tel. +358 400 469 503
Communications Manager Tuomo Antikainen, tel. +358 40 550 1890
Email address format: firstname.lastname@fazer.com