HKScan launches exports of Kariniemen® products to Sweden
HKScan Corporation, Press release, 11 October 2018, 10.30 (EET)
HKScan has begun exporting Finnish poultry products to Sweden. They will initially be sold through the largest retailer ICA’s outlets under the Karinäs® (Kariniemen®) brand.
The launch gives Swedish consumers access to a new innovation: high welfare farm-born poultry that is hatched on the farm where it is raised. This new concept is one additional guarantee of a high standard of quality, animal welfare and product safety throughout the farm-to-fork chain.
“Swedish consumers have high standards in terms of the quality and origin of the food they eat. I am delighted that HKScan’s Finnish products can meet those demands by bringing responsibly produced Karinäs® products to the growing Swedish poultry market. This also marks the launch of farm-born poultry products in Sweden, only one in the market. We have great expectations for this innovation. The feedback from consumers was very promising. Consumers have had an important role in our concept creation process,” states Sofia Hyleén Toresson, EVP Market Sweden.
The poultry meat exported to Sweden is sourced from around 80 of HKScan’s contract farms located mainly in western Finland. The high standard of quality has been the guiding principle of Karinäs® farmers since 1966. Examples of the results are that Karinäs® poultry is raised totally without antibiotics since 2009, the production is salmonella-free and incidence of campylobacteriosis is minimal. Selected Karinäs® farms were among the first in the world to adopt the farm born concept.
New possibilities for the whole value chain
“Frozen poultry imported from outside Europe continues to play a major role on Swedish dinner plates. Finnish-made Karinäs marks the arrival of a high-quality, responsibly produced alternative for the Swedish market. The launch of Swedish exports is one key step in our renewed strategy and brings notable synergies from cross-border collaboration. The launch of Swedish exports opens new avenues for progressive Finnish farmers and marks a significant step forward for our entire value chain,” says Heli Arantola, EVP Categories & Concepts.
The poultry products exported to Sweden are produced at HKScan’s Rauma production unit, the most advanced production facility of its kind in Europe. The state-of-the-art unit and top expertise of Finnish primary farmers allow HKScan to offer a growing range of innovative, responsible products to HKScan’s customers both on its domestic and export markets.
Consumption of poultry meat is rising steadily both in Sweden and Finland but is still below the EU average in both markets. Only around 60 per cent of the poultry meat consumed in Sweden is domestically produced, whereas the corresponding figure for Finland is 80 per cent. All Kariniemen® products are 100 per cent Finnish origin since 1966.
Growth in the poultry segment is listed as one of HKScan’s strategic targets.
Further information:
8.11.2017 HKScan improves welfare of Kariniemen® chicks: Welfare innovation: chicks are born in the chicken house:
It is totally okay to be a chicken and stay indoors:
Farm Born video (in Finnish): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uGhCzyI3EQQ
Facts about Farm Born concept
- All chicks are born on the farm they are raised rather than at a separate hatchery, which represents a considerable improvement in animal welfare.
- HKScan was among the first producers in the world to adopt this innovative concept a year ago.
- The eggs are brought from the hatchery to the chicken house shortly before hatching, ensuring that the chicks have immediate access to food and water as soon as they hatch.
- Traditionally, newborn chicks are transported from the hatchery to the chicken house. By eliminating the need for transportation of chicks from hatchery to farm the concept marks an improvement in animal welfare.
Key strengths of Finnish production:
- HKScan knows and deals personally with all producers in its farm-to-fork chain, eliminating the ‘middle man’.
- Finnish livestock production leads the world in animal welfare and quality. Beaks are not trimmed, chick culling is not practiced, farms basically apply an “all-in-all-out” system*, foot health is good, and high-quality feed and fresh water is always available. * a batch of chicks arrives, stays, and then leaves at the same time. After they leave, the entire chicken house is emptied, cleaned and disinfected.
- Finnish standards of livestock health care are excellent.
- HKScan poultry production has been antibiotics-free since 2009 and the use of growth hormones is banned in Finland.
- Thanks to vigorous disease prevention, there is no incidence of serious contagious animal diseases in Finland. Finland is salmonella-free and incidence of campylobacteriosis is minimal.
Further information: HKScan Media Service Desk tel. +358 (0)10 570 5700 or email communications@hkscan.com
HKScan is a Nordic meat and meals company. We employ over 7 300 professionals in striving to serve the world's most demanding consumers, maintaining quality throughout the full chain of operations, From Farm to Fork. HKScan produces, markets and sells high-quality, sustainably produced pork, beef, poultry and lamb products, as well as charcuterie and meals, with strong consumer brands, including HK®, Scan®, Rakvere®, Kariniemen®, Rose®, Pärsons® and Tallegg®. Our customers are the retail, food service, industrial and export sectors, and our home market comprises of Finland, Sweden, Denmark and the Baltics. We export to close to 50 countries. In 2017, HKScan had net sales of EUR 1.8 billion, making us one of Europe’s leading meat and meals companies.
