“Can only be made at Stranda”. But the raw materials do not necessarily have to be from Stranda. At times, Grilstad has used imported meat in the Norwegian folk favourite. At times, the Nyt Norge brand has been affixed to the package. And the brand is still advertised both online and on TV. But there is no place on the package where the meat comes from. Believes it is misleading Former secretary general of the Norwegian Farmers’ and Small Farmers’ Association, Anders Nordstad believes Stranda is deceiving the consumer. Photo: Josephine Nordstad Juul Møller Anders Nordstad is former general secretary of the Norwegian Farmers’ and Small Farmers’ Association, and now goes by the title of opinion speaker from Asker. Earlier this year, Norstad published a post on Facebook in which he criticized Stranda for misleading consumers. – I think they are trying to create an image that this is a Norwegian product. – Stranda mostly uses Norwegian pork, so it’s not that, but I think the way of advertising creates an impression that it’s Norwegian, almost as Norwegian as goat’s cheese, he says. Calling it “overimport” Norstad believes that it is neither a shortage of raw materials nor overproduction, but on the contrary “overimport”. – There will be a shortage of raw materials because the players are making use of the import quotas that Norway has given away. Had it not been for those quotas, Norwegian producers could have produced more. It is often cheaper to import meat than to use Norwegian goods. The increasing imports can keep the price of meat down, which the farmer will lose out on. Anders Norstad believes that profitability is being pressured by quota imports and weak customs protection. The government regulates imports through tariffs or import quotas. Meat auction Norway has negotiated trade agreements for tariff quotas on meat from various countries. A tariff quota is a right to a reduced tariff for a given quantity of a product for a specified period of time. The Directorate of Agriculture distributes most of the customs quotas for agricultural goods. Auction is considered the fairest way to distribute such a good. Tariff quotas exist for several types of agricultural goods, including cheese, meat, animal feed, fruit and vegetables. The meat is distributed among the importers based on their willingness to pay. The auction amount accrues to the state of Grilstad: – Due to a shortage of raw materials Today, the Stranda brand is part of the Grilstad group. Executive director of Grilstad, Ståle Gausen, writes in an e-mail to news that Stranda has chosen to use imported meat due to a shortage of raw materials. – Sales went up sharply in the grocery trade when corona came, and there was a shortage of raw materials. Then there was also a significant undercoverage of Norwegian meat raw materials, and raw ham in particular, says Gausen. Executive director of Grilstad, Ståle Gausen, says that the scarcity of Norwegian pig forced them to import meat. Photo: Kim Sorenssen / Kim Sorenssen It’s not just Strandashinke that contains imported meat. Grilstad also imports meat from Sweden and Iceland for fennel and cured sausage. According to Gausen, there are good reasons why it must be this way. At times it has apparently been impossible for Grilstad to obtain enough Norwegian raw materials to meet demand. The forecasts for the total market for meat and eggs show a market deficit of 3,000 tonnes of pork. So far this year, the shortfall has been compensated with imports. Have dialogue with Norsk Mat – The proportion of Finnish hams has for a period been approx. 20 percent. The rest of the raw materials have been Norwegian. Grilstad has had an ongoing dialogue with the Norsk Mat foundation, which controls and operates the “Norsk Mat” brand scheme. – We have taken away the Nyt Norge brand during the period where a proportion of hams from Finland were produced, says Gausen. They have agreed that the Nyt Norge brand will be used again when they are back on 100% Norwegian raw materials. – Rather eat more sheep, chicken and cow In 2019, Norway was almost self-sufficient in meat. For pork, the degree of self-sufficiency was 97 per cent. This means that the remaining percentages must be imported in order to satisfy Norwegians’ appetite. Specialist adviser for sustainable food and supply chains in Framtiden i våre hände, Emil Beddari, believes it is important to be honest with consumers. – You have to clearly communicate to the consumer what you do, especially when Strandaskinke is presented as a Norwegian product. Emil Beddari in the environmental organization The future in our hands. Photo: Privat Beddari believes it would have been better if there was greater encouragement to eat more of what actually comes from Norwegian livestock production. Like sheep, chickens and cows – instead of importing. – Import and export are largely about exchanging types of meat we don’t like with those we like extra well. Like we export mutton to Oman and import beef from Germany.
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The “Norwegian” spread Strandaskinke contains Finnish meat – news Nordland
