Culinary Conscientiousness
Nordic nations Finland, Denmark, Sweden, and Norway came together to introduce Nordic food at the “Nordic Food and Beverage Promotion Day” at the Grand Hyatt Seoul on Sept. 8. A total of 40 Scandinavian companies and representatives of 300 Korean businesses attended the program organized to introduce Nordic food, seafood, and beverages to the Korean market. During the program, Jesper Vibe-Hansen, deputy head of mission and commercial counselor of the Embassy of Denmark, mentioned that his hope and belief was that the Nordic businesses would build a lot of new contacts and build a new groundwork in the country.
His Excellency Thomas Lehmann, ambassador of Denmark to the Republic of Korea thanked the Korean attendees for the great turnout at the first ever Nordic food event. He went on to state, “The great turnout in the first ever Nordic food event is a testimony to not only a good relationship between Korea and Nordic countries but also to Koreans' interest in Nordic food.”
For the past few years, Nordic food has won over the palates of people, and the Nordic food trend has been quite popular. The unique Scandinavian influence and harsh but ecologically clean arctic climate, combined with high standards of food production, has been successful in winning over health-conscious consumers.
During the program, representatives from the Danish food industry, Fresh Finnish food, the Norwegian Seafood Council, and the Consumer Association of Sweden highlighted high quality, safety, and low environmental impact as the core values of Nordic food. Attention to animal welfare, minimum use of medicine in livestock, and a reduction in the use of pesticides has lead to an extremely low animal disease burden. These principles are the benchmarks that make Nordic food the most tasty and trustworthy. No use of preservatives, artificial colors, or sweeteners, and an appreciation of natural ingredients has lead to preserving the taste and quality of the food. The representatives emphasized that Nordic cuisine, which is developed on quality, purity, and ethics is tasty and healthy for Korean consumers.
Henrik Vikjaer Andersen, director of Japan & Korea at the Norwegian Seafood Council, touted Norway as the second-largest seafood exporter to 104 countries around the world. He mentioned the Norwegian Government's policy of “One Food Act” that has implemented sustainable management methods to ensure fish nutrition and seafood safety. He emphasized that the fact that 104 nations imported seafood from Norway was a testament to its quality and safety for Korean consumers.
During the program, the head of the Consumer Association of Sweden, Louise Ungerth, said that so far, governments and marketing has been recommending us what to eat based on what is healthy and safe for our body. But now, it is time to consider not only what is healthy but also what is environmentally safe and leaves less of a footprint in nature. The best step forward is minimizing food waste. From 30 to 40 percent of edible food that is produced never ends up in our stomachs, and food not eaten results in wasting thousands of dollars and the production of harmful greenhouse gases. For instance, when one throws away a single avocado, one wastes 200 liters of water that went into growing the avocado.
She mentioned a new scientific field called “Nudging” as a way to reduce food waste. “Nudging is to nudge people in right direction in order to change behavior without limiting choice,” she explained. She illustrated how experiments have proven that schoolchildren ate more vegetables by putting vegetables first in the order of food, and that food waste was reduced when portion size was introduced instead of a free buffet in hotels.
The Embassies of Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden together with business branches Business Sweden, Finpro, and Innovation Norway organized this first Nordic Food and Beverage Promotion event.