IFAJ 45^th Annual Congress 8-13 September 2001, Savonlinna, Finland

Health Trends in Meat Production

Merja Leino, Ph.D.

Business Area Director

Atria Oyj

Atria Oyj is the largest meat processing company in Finland, with a turnover of FIM 3.7 billion for 2000. Atria Oyj produces and markets whole meat products, sausages, consumer packed meats, poultry products, convenience foods (such as minced meat products), casseroles, microwave meals and soups, salads etc., made with domestic meats. A majority of Atria’s products are sold in Finland through retail outlets and commercial kitchens to customers and consumers. The Atria Group consists of: factories in Nurmo, Kauhajoki and Kuopio; Forssan Liha ja Säilyke in Forssa; Atria Lithells Ab in Sweden; and Atria Meat Ab. Atria Oyj is the largest exporter of meats and meat products in Finland. The most important export countries are Sweden, Denmark, Japan, Korea, Norway and the United States.

Finnish health trends

We have our own health trends in Finland, which do not necessarily exist in other countries. State health authorities, the foodstuffs industry, and nutrition researchers have for several years emphasised the importance of low sodium intake in nutrition and human health. The foodstuffs industry in Finland responded to the health authorities’ interest in minimising the development of coronary heart disease by reducing the sodium content of its food products. On the other hand, the low sodium content of the product can often prevent marketing of the product abroad. For example, some products can not be sold both in Finland and Sweden, due to varying consumer expectations of the amount of sodium contained in the product.

Over the last 5-7 years, Atria Oyj has reduced the amount of sodium in sausages from over 2 % to 1.6 %. Sodium content will be gradually reduced without altering product quality and in accordance with consumer expectations. It must also be noted that sodium is a vital raw ingredient in the forming of sausages.

In recent years the quantity and quality of fat in foods has been emphasised in research conducted by food researchers and the foodstuffs industry. For instance, the Finnish Meat Research Institute reported that the fat content of Finnish pork meat has decreased by 24 % over the last 15 years.

A product can be labelled as ‘light’ if its total energy content is 33 % below the norm. Consumers are becoming increasingly interested in the caloric and fat content of their daily food intake, and ‘light’ foods have all but taken over supermarket shelf space. Atria also offers a line of light products. ‘Light’ on the label, however, does not always give the whole truth to the consumer. If the amount of fat is high in a normal product, the light product will also have a relatively high fat content, while still fulfilling the criteria for light products. Many whole meat products contain a low amount of fat – an average of less than 3% in Atria Kytösavu products – and yet are not allowed to be called light products according to Finnish legislation.

Functional foods in meat products and convenience foods

Throughout the 1990s, the effect of food and nutrition on human health was a hot topic of discussion for nutritionists, food scientists and health authorities. The research and development of functional foods in Finland is very active at both the national and international level.

The National Institute of Health in the United States recently published new directives that aim to decrease cholesterol and coronary. The National Cholesterol Education Program recommends the consumption of certain foods for the purpose of reducing cholesterol. One of them is stanolester, which is used in Benecol-products.

Stanolester in meat products and convenience foods lowers the risk of coronary deseases.disease. Benecol products contain plant stanol, which lowers cholesterol. Stanolester lowers the total blood serum cholesterol and LDL cholesterol (low density cholesterol), which are harmful, but has no effect on HDL cholesterol (high density cholesterol) or triglycerides. Over 30 clinical trials show that 2 grams of stanol in the form of stanolester lowers total serum cholesterol by 10 % and serum LDL cholesterol by 15 %.

Atria Oyj will introduce new Benecol products to the Finnish market in the autumn of 2001. No products containing meat have previously been available as Benecol products. The four new products slated for introduction have been developed for foods typically consumed on a daily basis: Benecol beetroot salad, Benecol potato salad, Benecol frankfurters and Benecol broiler meat balls.

Safety, Origin

Many aspects of European agricultural policy is currently undergoing change. Food scandals in different parts of Europe have brought pressure to bear on the need for changes in food production. One of the most important matters of European food and agriculture policy is the demand for safe food production. The Finnish food chain has proven its viability. Quality throughout the food chain is the key to ensuring the production of safe foods for consumption.

One of the most important factors for the consumer when he or she is making buying decisions is the meat’s place of origin. Finnish consumers have a strong preference for domestic meats and meat products. Furthermore, consumers value food quality and safety, which are, according to consumers, related to the food’s place of origin. In the consumer’s mind, healthy food means safe food, and safe food means domestic food. However, especially in Finland, price is still one of the most important factors affecting consumer behaviour.

Atria uses only Finnish meats. Even though legislation only requires labelling the place of origin for beef products, Atria also voluntarily provides information on the place of origin (always Finland) for pork and poultry products. Labelling states that the animal was born, bred and slaughtered in Finland.

Organic food

Ethical and ecological considerations in the food chain have become increasingly important selection criteria for the consumer. Consumers associate ethical and ecological aspects with organically produced foods. Due to the recent spate of food crises, the preference for organic food production has increased strongly in certain European countries, such as England, Austria, Germany and France. The greatest problems facing organic food production are the availability of raw ingredients for large scale industrial food production and price of the organic food production chain. Although consumers in Finland are willing to pay more for organic foods compared to those produced by more traditional means, the difference in price cannot be too high.

Atria Oyj has produced and marketed organic beef for a couple of years. The aim is to significantly increase the production of organic meats by increasing the amount of organic farms. However, a majority of the meat produced is sold whole to supermarket meat counters and commercial kitchens, while the minority is marketed as organic minced meat and meat strips in consumer packed trays.

Merja Leino

Business Area Director

Company: Atria Oyj Ltd

PhD (Food Chemistry)

Ms. Leino works at Atria Oyj as Business Area Director of Chick Poultry and Consumer Packed Meat Units, and is responsible for its business result and development. In addition to product development, product quality and product safety, she is also in charge of Atria laboratories.