– The biggest loser here will be the Norwegian farmer, that is not what the farmers need right now. Consumer power is being taken away from us who try to send our money in a certain direction, says Astrid Regine Nässlander. In a tin-clad industrial building in Bogøy in Nordland, the 30-year-old currently works making sausages and baking sourdough bread. She will sell the goods in the small shop she has in connection with the game reception she has taken over. In addition to the delicatessen and the farm she is trying to breathe life into together with her husband Jesper and their two young children, Nässlander also provides catering services to order. Despite his young age, the food entrepreneur has already received several awards for his work. In 2018, she won the chef’s award for her dedication to sustainable food production and her ability to utilize the ingredients in season. At the time, she hosted the travel destination Manshausen in the municipality of Steigen. Dagens Næringsliv has singled her out as one of Norway’s new leading stars, in 2019 she was nominated for Coop’s environmental award “Änglamarkprisen”, in addition to winning “KokkeKarla’s Scholarship” under the Food Award the same year. But now she works for herself, and has grown tired of a tendency she often experiences as a chef and food producer. In “Summer in P2”, you can hear how a cabin full of cat poo, and nights in an attic on a Danish farm, took Astrid Regine Nässlander from being an architecture student in Copenhagen, to becoming an award-winning chef farthest towards the sea in Nordland. – Since 2017, I have ordered vegetables through Bama. On their online store, they write, among other things, the country of origin on the goods they sell. For me, who tries to cook based on what is in season, and who only wants to use Norwegian ingredients, this is fine, she says. – The challenge is that it regularly turns out that the goods I receive are not from Norway, but imported from abroad. Pia Gulbrandsen, communications director at Bama, explains this by saying that we are still early in the season for Norwegian vegetables. – Unfortunately, we don’t always have enough for everyone who wants it. Our experience is that most people want replacement goods in such cases, so that they can offer what is on the menu, she writes in an e-mail to news. See the full response from Bama here. Nässlander believes this puts her in an ethical dilemma. Astrid settled in an isolated cabin without electricity or water to learn self-rescue. Now she will get the villagers to eat more moose meat. Either have to throw the goods away or eat them myself – In such cases I have three options. I can use the goods, which goes beyond my integrity and my message as a chef. I can throw the goods away, which is pointless in any case, or I can eat the goods myself, she says. – Sending back is not an option for me, as I live in Steigen, and the goods will most likely be thrown away if I send them back. Currently, Nässlander and his family are trying to finish an order of Italian savoy cabbage. ITALIAN CABBAGE: Astrid Regine Nässlander ordered Norwegian savoy cabbage, but received cabbage from Italy instead. She does not want to use that cabbage in cooking for her customers. Photo: Astrid Regine Nässlander – I try to use my little purchasing power to stimulate Norwegian agriculture, and send a signal that Norwegian raw materials are in demand. In addition, my customers expect me to stand by the values I convey. Then it becomes difficult for me to have integrity in the work I do, when time and time again you work with raw materials you don’t really want, she says. – Do you think this is a deliberate strategy from the suppliers? – It can almost seem that way, when the same mistake happens again and again, year after year. In a way, I am tricked into ordering goods that I would not otherwise order, when it says that it is Norwegian in the online store. The Norwegian Farmers’ Association knows that this is a challenge. Another chef who has experienced the same thing is Halvar Ellingsen, the man behind Kvitnes Gård in Vesterålen, further north in Nordland. This is Bama’s response to the criticism Pia Gulbrandsen is communications director at Bama. She chooses to answer news’s questions via e-mail. Why do you deliver imported goods, despite the fact that your website says that the goods sold are Norwegian? – Bama Storkjøkken wants to offer as many tasty Norwegian vegetables as possible, and we always aim to deliver what is ordered. At the same time, we are dependent on access to Norwegian products, and that we have the goods inside. It is still early in the Norwegian season, and unfortunately we do not always have enough for everyone who wants it. Our experience is that most people want replacement goods in such cases, so that they can offer what is on the menu. Why is it not possible to register as a customer who does not want imported goods, if that is the only option? – It is possible, and all you have to do is contact us about this. We operate with very short order deadlines to the delight of our customers. From the time an order is received until the goods are shipped out, it often takes a few hours, and then changes can unfortunately also occur. – Astrid Regine Nässlander claims that she has tried this several times, but was then told that it is not possible. What’s right? – It is possible, but we apologize that the customer has found this difficult. What is the difference in price of Norwegian and imported vegetables? What do you earn by selling imported vegetables instead of Norwegian vegetables? – Prices vary with the seasons and origins, and not least between different qualities of the raw materials. Is this a desired strategy from you? – We are very keen to sell local food. Norwegian production of high quality is good for the farmers, our customers and the environment. We therefore work closely with producers in Gartnerhallen on the “Short & Good” concept with a focus on good, locally produced food, and in collaboration develop exciting new products that can only be found on the professional market. Examples of this are stemmed cauliflower and burgundy cabbage from Gilhus farm, winter radishes from Hasle farm and Historic tomatoes in collaboration with Hansand farm. What do you think of the statement that this strategy affects Norwegian agriculture? What can you do to change this? – We have ongoing meetings with Gartnerhallen throughout the season in order to be able to offer as many Norwegian raw materials as possible. We also buy in surplus goods and frugal vegetables. This will help ensure that the entire crop can be used, and it prevents food waste. There will be even more focus on this in online shopping going forward. About Norway’s ability to be self-sufficient Earlier this summer, the farm was involved in discussions about being awarded a Michelin star, but they didn’t quite get there this time. – My frustration went so far that I stopped ordering vegetables myself and created my own farm, says Ellingsen. – I experienced that I did not receive the goods I ordered. Even though it was in the middle of season for Norwegian carrots and that’s what I wanted, I got Italian carrots instead. Ellingsen emphasizes that this challenge does not only apply to Bama, but also to other suppliers. Halvar became the youngest ever NM winner in cookery. Now he is going to open a gourmet restaurant in a small village in Vesterålen, and everything is at stake. The chef further believes that this is a clear sign that we have a challenge when it comes to the degree of self-sufficiency in Norway. Ellingsen believes that some of the challenge can be changed with political measures. – We have to move away from people only producing one thing on their farms. My proposal is to put in place a bonus scheme which states that if you produce vegetables in addition to, for example, cattle, you will receive 5 per cent more in subsidies for everything you produce. Then we would increase the production of vegetables, and it would also be good for the environment, says Ellingsen. At Kvitnes Gård, all the animals have a function, beyond becoming food. INCREASED INTEREST: – Several of our guests are interested in how we produce our food. They are concerned that it should be Norwegian and safe, says chef Halvar Ellingsen. Photo: Synnøve Sundby Fallmyr / news – For example, you can give all the potatoes you don’t use to the pigs. Then you don’t have to buy feed for them. The pigs then produce compost, which you can use in the soil you grow in. We need to look a bit at how we used to farm, he believes. Astrid Regine Nässlander believes that changes at suppliers will contribute to an increased focus on Norwegian food and better conditions for Norwegian farmers. – The large suppliers should put systems in place which, for example, make it possible to reserve against imported vegetables, she says. – There are many players, such as restaurants and hotels, who want to use Norwegian raw materials. This signal must go out to both farmers and politicians. But due to a system error with the suppliers, it does not arrive, and agriculture does not receive the support it could have received.
ttn-69
Chef Astrid Regine Nässlander orders Norwegian vegetables from Bama, but receives foreign food – news Nordland
