Bream from the John Nurminen Foundation’s Local Fishing Project for sustainable fishing is the ingredient of the Pirkka archipelago fish patty Up until now, bream from the Baltic Sea has never been used this extensively as the raw ingredient of a consumer product. Bream fishing is an efficient way to reduce the environmental load of the Baltic Sea.
The K Group and the John Nurminen Foundation have embarked on a cooperation project which will introduce the Pirkka archipelago fish patty, made from bream fished from the Baltic Sea by the Foundation’s Local Fishing Project, to K Group grocery stores.
‘One of the main goals of the Local Fishing Project is to increase the share of domestic, sustainably fished fish on the plates of the Finns. Having the K Group join the project is a significant step forward: a large, nationwide stakeholder will help us create long-term consumer demand for cyprinid fish, such as bream’, explains project manager Miina Mäki from the John Nurminen Foundation.
Fishing cyprinids is an example of the circular economy
Fishing cyprinids (roach and bream) for human consumption is an efficient way to reduce the environmental load of the Baltic Sea. Food production is one of the major sources of the Baltic Sea’s nutrient load, and recycling nutrients and putting them back to use through fishing is a feature of the circular economy model. Moreover, bream and roach from the Baltic Sea are an ecological alternative to meat and imported fish.
‘Collaboration with the John Nurminen Foundation and the launch of the Pirkka archipelago fish patty, made from bream, are perfectly in line with our corporate responsibility strategy, based on the circular economy. What is more, the archipelago fish patty is a highly successful, succulent and delicious product’, says Tiina-Liisa Nirhola, Purchasing Manager at Kesko’s Grocery Trade.
Product will arrive at K Group food stores April
The Pirkka archipelago fish patties are manufactured at the Apetit factories in Säkylä. Each package contains two breaded bream patties that you can heat up on a frying pan, in the oven, or in a microwave. The product is frozen, and will be available at stores during the first weeks of April.
The Local Fishing Project is active in the Archipelago Sea and the Gulf of Bothnia. The fish catch is utilized in its entirety, with most of it refined further for use in the food industry. Up until now, bream has not been used this extensively in consumer products: instead, it has ended up as an ingredient of animal feed, for example.
The Local Fishing Project, launched in 2015, seeks to create a permanent operating model for the more efficient utilization of cyprinid fish in the fish products aimed at industrial kitchens and retail.
EU pilot project
The Local Fishing Project is also one of the pilots of the NutriTrade project (NutriTrade – Piloting a Nutrient Trading Scheme in the Central Baltic), which is partly funded by the EU Interreg Central Baltic programme (2015 – 2018). The NutriTrade project creates a system for providing and financing voluntary nutrient reduction measures in the Baltic Sea area. NutriTrade is a flagship project of the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region, and it is led by the John Nurminen Foundation.
Downloadable images of the package and the Local Fishing Project:
http://marsu.kesko.fi/l/MJzgpR98sZ7h
Further information:
Tiina-Liisa Nirhola, Purchasing Manager, Kesko’s Grocery Trade, Tel. +358 40 312 2003
Timo Jäske, Sustainability Manager, Kesko’s Grocery Trade, Tel. +358 50 529 2028
Miina Mäki, Project Manager, John Nurminen Foundation, Tel. +358 50 576 3298
Tuula Putkinen, Communications Director, John Nurminen Foundation, Tel. +358 400 907 809
The customer satisfaction of the approximately 1,400 K Group grocery stores is the responsibility of K-food retailers, who implement the chain business model of Kesko’s Grocery Trade. K Group grocery store chains include K-Citymarket, K-Supermarket, K-Market and Neste K. K Group grocery stores’ corporate responsibility is world class in the industry. Other strengths include superior fresh produce sections, highly professional service, widest selection of goods, Finnish products, and Pirkka. K Group grocery stores offer both high quality and affordable prices.
K – For shopping to be fun.
The John Nurminen Foundation, established in 1992, works for the Baltic Sea and its marine cultural heritage in a way that makes an impact and brings results. The Foundation’s Clean Baltic Sea projects improve the status of the Baltic Sea with concrete measures that reduce the nutrient load and environmental risks faced by the sea.
www.puhdasitameri.fi
www.johnnurmisensaatio.fi/itamerilaskuri
