Finns love their national bread – Fazer produces nearly one million rye breads per day
The National Rye Bread Day is celebrated on 28 February. Finland’s favourite bread is more topical than ever: wholegrain rye bread supports wellbeing and is naturally a good source of fibre and plant protein. At the world’s largest rye bakery in Lahti, the new rye bread line produces the rye breads Finns love.
Fazer continuously invests in rye-baking expertise and production as well as innovates new products. In Fazer’s Lahti bakery, the largest rye bakery in the world, nearly one million rye breads are baked every day. The bakery produces, among others, the beloved Puikula, Reissumies and Jälkiuuni rye breads. The Puikula product family was recently expanded with the gut-friendly Fazer Puikula Ohut ruis bread, suitable for a FODMAP diet.
Last year, a new Reissumies rye bread line was completed at the Lahti bakery, representing an investment of approximately EUR 11 million. Rye baking emphasises domesticity, and in 2015 Fazer became the first nationwide bakery to use exclusively Finnish rye in its rye breads.
Finland loves rye bread – rightfully our national bread
Finland consumes more rye than any other country in the world – about 15 kilos per person per year.³
Fazer’s Great Bread Study 2025¹ (Suuri Leipätutkimus 2025) shows that Finns aged over 45 in particular consider rye bread a central part of a healthy diet. Overall, the healthiness of rye bread is increasingly recognised in Finland: 77 per cent of Finns consider it an important part of a healthy diet.
Wholegrain and fibre recommendations highlight the importance of rye bread
According to Finland’s national nutrition recommendations, at least 90 grams of wholegrain should be consumed daily. Rye bread is the single most important source of wholegrain for Finns, and rye products also account for roughly one quarter of daily fibre intake.⁴
“According to our Rye Bread Survey², consumers understand the benefits of wholegrain well: 78 per cent know that rye bread contains a high amount of fibre, and 75 per cent consider wholegrain a healthy choice. Respondents also selected bread as the product that makes it easiest to meet wholegrain recommendations in practice,” says Marika Laaksonen Lead in Health, Senior Manager in Nutrition at Fazer.
According to Fazer’s Great Bread Study¹, attitudes towards wholegrain are highly positive: it is an important selection criterion for 72 per cent of Finns, with interest increasing particularly in older age groups. The benefits of wholegrain are associated especially with fibre, flavour, and reduced food waste, as the entire grain is utilised. Among younger respondents (16–25 years), 63 per cent also find wholegrain appealing. The study indicates that fibre and gut wellbeing⁵ are key reasons for consumers to choose wholegrain.
Fazer aims to make it easier for consumers to meet wholegrain recommendations. Bread packaging clearly states the amount of wholegrain in grams. The daily recommendation can be met, for example, with 6–7 slices of wholegrain rye bread. By 2030, 65 per cent of Fazer breads will be of wholegrain.
Sources
- Fazer’s Great Bread Study 2025 (Suuri Leipätutkimus 2025)
- Rye Bread Survey 2024 / Norstat, N = 1020: Commissioned by Fazer Bakeries, conducted by Norstat 24–29 Jan 2024. Respondents: 1,020 Finns aged 18–74.
- Pro Ruis ry, www.proruis.fi
- FinRavinto 2017 study
- Rye fibre contributes to normal bowel function as part of a balanced and varied diet and a healthy lifestyle
Press images
https://fast.fazer.com/l/hTgS5_BcfMpg
Further information
Tarja Kuusela, Communications Director, Fazer Bakery Finland
tarja.kuusela@fazer.com, tel. +358 40 5876063
Fazer Bakery Finland
Fazer is the leading bakery company in Finland. Fazer’s large bakeries are located in Vantaa, Lahti and Lappeenranta. The company also operates more than 140 in-store bakeries within grocery stores, where artisan bakers handcraft bread on-site from Finnish flour. Fazer Bakery employs approximately 1,600 people in Finland. The domestic content of bakery production is 94%.
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 more than 130-year heritage, consumer first approach and innovations to create the sustainable food solutions of the future. With our dedicated team of almost 5,000 professionals, we focus on fast-moving consumer goods and our direct-to-consumer business in Northern Europe, and beyond with exports to more than 40 countries. Fazer’s operations comply with its Code of Conduct that is based on the Group’s values and the UN Global Compact. In 2025, Fazer Group had net sales of 1,200 million euros.
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