On 11 December, Arkea will for the first time serve fish patties made from local fish – mainly bream – at its school canteens, day care centres and workplace cafeterias in Turku. The customers of the hospital staff canteens in the City of Turku and the Hospital District of Southwest Finland will get to enjoy local fish patties in January.
Local fish patties that are now introduced to the menus have been created as part of the John Nurminen Foundation’s Local Fishing projects The recipe of the local fish patties has been developed through the cooperation of Arkea product development and the fishmongers Kalaliike S. Wallin. Currently, five professional fishermen from the Airisto and Uusikaupunki regions have been selected to work for the project in addition to Kala-Apu Oy, the company that delivers the minced fish catch to Wallin.
The goal of the project is to raise consumer awareness on the connection between food production and water protection, at the same time improving the impression of captured wild fish as source of food. Introducing locally produced fish to the offerings of institutional kitchens, such as school canteens, is an ethical and ecological alternative to mass-produced meat or imported fish.
– At Arkea, we aim to reduce the environmental load caused by our operations. In our food services, for example, we use organic and locally-sourced products whenever possible. Local fish patties are a new, interesting and important initiative for us, explains Paula Juvonen, service director at Arkea food services.
Local fish patties are also an important new venture for the City of Turku, which, in line with the Baltic Sea Challenge theme of Clear coastal waters, aims to reduce the nutrient load of the waterways. In order to achieve reductions in the nutrient load, measures are needed not only from the city corporate group, but also from the companies and people of the municipality. The objective of the city is to strengthen the opportunities companies in the region have for developing resource-wise, low-carbon and nutrient-neutral solutions that will lead to a carbon-neutral city in 2040. More information: http://www.turku.fi/asuminen-ja-ymparisto/ymparisto/kestava-kehitys
Additional information:
Paulo Juvonen, Food Service Director, Arkea Oy, Tel. +358 44 907 5900
Miina Mäki, Project Manager, John Nurminen Foundation, Tel. 358 50 576 3298
Pekka Salminen, Environmental Planner, City of Turku, Tel. 358 44 907 5999
For more information on the Local Fishing project, visit https://www.johnnurmisensaatio.fi/lahikalahanke/
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Arkea Oy, part of the Turku corporate group, produces food, cleaning, facility maintenance and security services, and is the largest company and employer of this sector in Southwest Finland. With 1,100 employees, we have a strong presence in the everyday lives of our customers. We operate in more than 300 buildings, covering 500,000 square metres and
3 million cubic metres, and prepare 45,000 meals daily. We are responsible for our customers and for the environment, and are keenly aware of our ethical and corporate responsibilities.