The matter in summary: The ‘Nyt Norge’ label does not necessarily mean that the food is Norwegian. The mark indicates that the food is refined, packaged and distributed in Norway, but some of the raw materials may in some cases come from other countries. Eggs, milk and meat must be of one hundred percent Norwegian origin. Mixed products can have up to 25 per cent foreign ingredients, and at the same time use the Nyt Norge label. The brand is owned by the Norwegian Farmers’ Association and the Norwegian Farmers’ and Small Farmers’ Association, and is managed by Matmerk. There are strict requirements to be able to use the brand, including requirements for traceability and quality. The summary is made by an AI service from OpenAi. The content is quality assured by news’s journalists before publication. Right now there is a milk shortage in Norway. That made Tine want a small proportion of milk powder from abroad into the yoghurt they produce, 3 per cent to be precise. There was a discussion about that. “Enjoy Norway”, with a taste of other countries… Foreign ingredients in Norwegian food often have a logical explanation. Neither sugar, pepper nor salt is produced in Norway. Not rice either, for that matter. The rice comes from other latitudes. But rice porridge with the “Nyt Norge brand”, we can find that in the grocery store. A quarter of the content of foods that are so-called mixed products can come from other countries, while “Nyt Norge” can be pasted on the packaging. Important label “Nyt Norge” is a labeling scheme that was introduced by the Norsk Mat foundation in 2009. The aim of the scheme is to show that products are of Norwegian origin, and at the same time make it easy for consumers to choose such food products. – So far our rules are simple. It must be Norwegian raw material. The food must be refined, packaged and distributed in Norway. And when it comes to milk, eggs and meat, it must be 100 percent Norwegian, says Nina Sunqvist. She is managing director of Norsk Mat, and thus has overall responsibility for the brand scheme. Last week, she and Norsk Mat Tine gave permission to continue with the Nyt Norge brand on yogurt that should contain 3 percent milk powder from abroad, despite the fact that milk products must be 100 percent Norwegian produced. It led to an ever-so-small rebellion, both among consumers and dairy farmers. CLEAR RULES: Nina Sundqvist is managing director of Norsk Mat. She believes the rules behind the Enjoy Norway label are very clear. Photo: Nortura Stiftelsen Matmerk Matmerk is an independent foundation which aims to contribute to increased diversity, quality and value creation in Norwegian food production. They work to strengthen the reputation of Norwegian food products among Norwegian consumers. Matmerk is responsible for the Quality System in Agriculture, which documents that Norwegian agriculture is run according to laws and regulations, and which lays the foundation for food safety, animal welfare and quality in Norwegian food production. They are responsible for the Nyt Norge brand of origin scheme, which makes it easy for consumers to choose Norwegian food in the store. Matmerk is also responsible for KIL-Kompetanceutvikling i Landbruket, which will contribute to skills development for professionals in agriculture, and they are responsible for Økologisk.no, which provides information on organic food. Matmerk was established by the Ministry of Agriculture and Food in 2007. They are led by a board made up of representatives from the entire value chain. For many manufacturers, it is important to have the product decorated with the Nyt Norge brand, and in the store there are many products with the logo that are easily noticeable. But unlike eggs, milk and meat, there are separate rules for mixed products. These can therefore have a good number of ingredients that are certainly not Norwegian. Many people are surprised by this: Ali Rezai: – I haven’t thought much about this, but I would like to think that the brand shows that the product is Norwegian. Mathias Enge: – I only found out about this yesterday. I thought the food with this label was Norwegian. Mona Moe: I think that the food is Norwegian when I see “Nyt Norge-merket”. Gudny Dahlen: – I think that food with this label is made in Norway and consists of Norwegian ingredients. Milk shortage creates new challenges Why is there really not enough milk? A lot of people have asked themselves that in recent days. The leader of Innlandet Farmers’ Association, Elisabeth Gjems, places some of the blame on the bad summer last year. It was first characterized by drought, and later by extremely heavy rain. It destroyed or reduced crops, and smaller crops yield less milk. In other words, the farmers have reduced the number of cows because they see that there is not enough food for them. Gjems also believes that the economy in agriculture is a contributing factor: – It is difficult to compensate for a bad fodder year when you can’t afford it, she believes. FLOODS ØDELA CROPS: Now one of the consequences is less milk production, believes the farmer association leader. Photo: Anders Bakkerud Larsen / news Previously, there was a larger buffer in the amount of milk produced. Back then, they took account of slightly larger production, and made Jarlsberg cheese for export from what was left over. This came to an end in 2020, as a result of demands from the WTO (World Trade Organisation). Tine is now receiving strong criticism from both the political side and from competitors in the dairy sector for the situation that has arisen. This has led the company to now promise good information in all stores about the milk products that have the Nyt Norge label, but which for a period are not 100 per cent Norwegian produced. The products in question are Tine’s fruit yoghurts, Tine Yoghurt Natural, Tine Yoghurt Nyt, Tine Yoghurt Lactose-free and Go’morgen. By Easter, however, there should be a balance in the market, and an end to the import of milk powder, believes Johnny Ødegård. He is the head of Norwegian milk raw materials in Tine, and thus the person who should have the best overview of how the milk market is developing in the future.
ttn-69
Did you think the food label “Nyt Norge” means that the food is Norwegian? – news Innlandet – Local news, TV and radio
