Fazer Day – a celebration of innovation and sustainable food production
Fazer celebrated its 128th birthday on Tuesday. The anniversary was dedicated to the theme Food and climate and featured the relationship between food and climate and the impact land use, food production and consumption have on the climate as well as the roles that different parties play in developing sustainable food solutions.
Tuesday 17 September marked the 128th year since the young and brave Karl Fazer established his first café on Kluuvikatu, Helsinki. Karl Fazer had a mission; to make food with a purpose – and a passion to create moments of joy for all the people around him. Today, Fazer Group is transforming to a modern sustainable food company with a joint direction, and a dedication to grow in Northern Europe and beyond with meaningful branded food experiences in growing categories.
Fazer arranged two events to celebrate its birthday. In the morning, almost 70 Fazer employees took the streets at the centres of Helsinki, Turku and Tampere to surprise commuters and delight them with sustainable and joyful Fazer experiences of oats. Oats are used in all Fazer’s businesses. Oats are sustainable, healthy and rich in fibre and protein. All in all, Fazer met 15.000 consumers. In the afternoon, people representing the private, public and non-profit sectors gathered together in the Fazer Experience Visitor Centre to discuss food and climate and the way the global food system should be changed to abate climate change.
Food production and consumption in the future
“Sustainability is an integral part of Fazer’s strategy on our journey to a modern sustainable food company with a joint direction. We know that how we grow, produce and consume food has a significant impact on the environment, on society and on our wellbeing. The recent report by IPCC – the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change - highlights the impacts of land use as well as the food system and the consumption of food. The need to take action to abate climate change, preserve biodiversity and solve other environmental challenges is becoming more and more critical. We need to be fearlessly creative and open for innovation across categories to create the solutions of the future food system.” says Christoph Vitzthum, President & CEO of Fazer Group.
Lauri Reuter, PhD in biotechnology, founder of the Nordic FoodTech Venture Capital and the key note speaker at the event in Fazer Experience, is an expert on the future of food. Reuter did in his speech recognise the challenges of the current food system and the negative impacts thereof but wanted in his speech also to convey hope: “The food system is at cups of a massive and rapid change. There are all the reasons to believe we have the technology to do that, but it does require the courage to rethink our relationship with food - and act.” he said.
The event also included an engaging and insightful panel discussion on the theme Food and climate. The panellists in the discussion included, besides Lauri Reuter, Liisa Pietola, Head of Environmental Affairs at The Central Union of Agricultural Producers and Forest Owners MTK, Sirpa Kurppa, professor at the Natural Resources Institute Finland Luke, Liisa Rohweder, Secretary General of WWF Finland and farmer Juuso Joona. The discussion was themed around the role of various actors in changing the food system, changes that can and should be made rather quickly and the actions that we all should take together to minimise the negative climate impacts of food.
Reducing food waste key to minimising climate impacts of food
Food waste is one of the most significant food factors causing negative climate impact. According to the IPCC, approximately one third of the food produced in the world is wasted. Reducing food waste has hence a significant impact on the climate impacts of the whole food system. Not only should everyone consider how they produce and consume food at home or in restaurants, but Fazer wants to challenge all companies to consider how waste could be reduced in the whole value chain and side-streams better utilised to create value and reduce waste.
“At Fazer, we have been able to halve the amount of waste in the Finnish bakery business since 2017. This great result has been achieved by close cooperation throughout the whole value chain” says Christoph Vitzthum. “Cooperation and joint actions, whether in operations or in research and innovation, are key to trigger the changes needed in the food system. We believe that by cooperating throughout the value chain, we can achieve concrete and impactful results,” Vitzthum continues.
Further information:
Fazer’s media phone line is open Mon–Fri from 8 am to 4 pm, tel. +358 40 668 2998, media@fazer.com
Fazer Group
In 1891, the young Karl Fazer opened his first café with a mission to make food with a purpose – and a passion to create moments of joy for all the people around him. It became Northern Magic. Made Real. Today, Fazer is an international family-owned company offering quality bakery, confectionery, biscuit and grain products, plant-based meals, non-dairy products, on-the-go food & drinks as well as food and café services. The Group operates in nine countries and exports to around 40 countries. The success of Fazer has been built on Karl Fazer’s vision, values and fearless creativity: the best product and service quality, beloved brands, the passion of skilful people and responsible ways of working. In 2018, Fazer Group had net sales of 1.6 billion euros and more than 15,000 employees. Fazer’s operations comply with ethical principles that are based on the Group’s values and the UN Global Compact.
Northern Magic. Made Real.
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