Fazer Leipurit switches to new flour – products stay fresh for longer at home

Fazer Leipurit continues to tackle food loss and has started using new strong Finnish wheat flour, which keeps bread fresh longer. Breads baked with the new recipe are also made naturally with artisanal skill, without any additives. The goal is to not waste a crumb – neither in the shop nor at home. Artisan breads baked with the new wheat flour are now available in the shops.

The popularity of bread has increased significantly in recent years. Above all, consumers value fresh bread made from Finnish ingredients. According to surveys, Finnish households create 24 kilos of food loss every year, and 80 per cent feel bad about throwing bread in the bin.* In response, Fazer has invested in sustainability and has also sought various solutions for reducing food loss in its in-store bakeries.

“Friends of artisan bread are used to consuming the bread right on the day when it is bought. This new type of wheat flour helps keep the bread deliciously fresh for days, which again decreases food loss at home,” says Marika Hagelberg, Vice President of Retail Solutions at Fazer Bakery.

New flour especially suitable for artisan baking

The new strong wheat flour is a result of long-term product development. The new flour will be used in all Fazer Leipurit’s artisan breads in which wheat flour is an ingredient. The strong flour has more protein than the flour previously used by Fazer, which makes the bread crust even stronger and crunchier than before. A stronger crust makes the bread tastier and keeps the inside of the bread moist, which means the bread will remain deliciously fresh at home for longer.

“These days, consumers are increasingly attracted to simple, natural ingredients. This can be seen in the growing demand for 00 pizza flour. Now we want to shine a light on strong bread flour. The new kind of flour is also especially suitable for our baking method, in which we let the dough rest for a long time. By improving the quality of the ingredients, we can provide end products of higher quality to consumers,” emphasises Hagelberg.

Handmade using Finnish grains

Fazer already has 129 in-store bakeries in Finland, with more than 700 artisan bakers working in them. The new wheat flour comes from Fazer’s own mill in Lahti, and the flour is milled from Finnish grains.

“We want to raise our bar and that of the entire food industry, and we’re always scrutinising what we do. Switching to new flour has required long-term cooperation and an increase in the level of expertise throughout the value chain. Finnish farmers, millers, and bakers are to thank for this patient development work lasting several years and their incomparable artisanal skills,” says Hagelberg.

Food loss is tackled in many different ways

Fazer as a company is committed to reducing food loss by 50% by 2030 compared to 2020. As part of the work to decrease food loss, Fazer Leipurit is optimising its baking volumes even more specifically, and this autumn, consumers have been encouraged to cut food loss with daily choices with the Ei muruakaan hukkaan (“Don’t waste a crumb”) communications concept.

Since 2018, Fazer has offered customers overnight products, packed in Hävikkitalkoot (“Waste Bee”) bags, at an affordable price. Bread is also donated to charity, and bread that is unfit for human consumption is used in small quantities as animal feed or for biofuel or is recycled as biowaste.

* RedNote 2021: Suuri leipätutkimus (“The Great Bread Survey”)

Tietoa ruokahävikistä site about food loss (in Finnish) (https://havikkiviikko.fi/tietoa-ruokahavikista/)

Further information:

Tarja Kuusela
Communications Director, Fazer Bakery Finland
tarja.kuusela@fazer.com
tel. +358 40 587 6063

Pictures:

Print-ready pictures are available in Fazer’s public image bank and can be found by following the path: www.fazergroup.com/media - Image & video bank - Public Image Bank - Media_Press – Finland – Astetta artesaanimpaa
 

Fazer Leipurit

Fazer's in-store bakeries offer artisan bread that is baked on the spot, using Finnish flour ground at Fazer's mill. The in-store bakeries are easily identified by the name Fazer Leipurit. They are separate bakeries located inside stores. Fazer has 129 in-store bakeries throughout Finland that employ around 700 artisan bakers. Fazer opened 17 new in-store bakeries in 2021, and this year, more than a dozen new in-store bakeries have been opened.

Fazer Group 

Fazer, The Food Experience Company, enables people to enjoy the best moments of their day. Our mission, Food with a purpose, builds on our strong 130-year heritage, consumer first approach and innovations to create the sustainable food solutions of the future. With our dedicated team of approximately 6,000 professionals, we focus on fast-moving consumer goods and our direct-to-consumer business in Northern Europe, and beyond with exports to some 40 different countries. Fazer’s operations comply with its Code of Conduct that is based on the Group’s values and the UN Global Compact. In 2021, Fazer Group had net sales of 1.1 billion euros.

Northern Magic. Made Real.