The Japan Times WORLD EYE REPORTS FINLAND
©THE JAPAN TIMES	Sunday, March 10, 2002

Ensuring international food safety and consumer health

Scandanavia's market leader in animal feed products, Suomen Rehu, is also a leading innovator in the area of food safety. Through an effective blend of new technologies and traditional safeguards, the company is now an integral partner in European food and livestock production. In the last decade, Europe has undergone significant structural changes, and the agricultural sector has been particularly affected. Finland's food sector is in the midst of a restructuring process that is leaving fewer, larger farms and suppliers. The need to be competitive even in formerly protected domestic markets has led many companies to find ways to increase efficiency and productivity. To this end, Suomen Rehu is able to provide specialty feed and customized nutrition programs that help farmers increase livestock yields. "We have a rich history here of producing effective products for the Finnish and global markets," said Antero Nyyssönen, the company's president. "Currently we are working on solutions for producing meat without antibiotics, relying instead on natural methods." Already in use in Finland for the past two years, these techniques are being tested in the rest of Europe and will soon be present in Japan.

Suomen Rehu President Antero Nyyssönen insists on strict quality control and the highest standards as part of a firm commitment to producing safe food.

Suomen Rehu annually produces over 720,000 tons of animal feed, making it one of the bigger European players. This is only one facet of the cutting-edge company, however. By using the Internet, both consumers and farmers are able to take a much more proactive role in the production and consumption of produce in Finland.

"We have recently introduced a system whereby consumers can input a tracking number found on the side of a carton of eggs, and see the complete history of that particular box of eggs on the Internet," Nyyssönen said proudly. "Everything -- from the farm in which it was produced, to its entire production history and details of feeding -- is available for inspection by the consumer."

In cooperation with the telecommunications company Sonera, Suomen Rehu has also launched an Internet portal that is designed to increase communication between all steps on the production chain. According to recent studies, nearly half of all Finnish farmers have logged onto the site in the last month -- a positive indicator of its success and acceptance.

With the recent outbreaks in Europe of mad cow disease and foot-and-mouth disease, food sources have become an especially important concern. Through the extensive testing and auditing of its operations, Suomen Rehu is able to guarantee the safety and quality of its product. With ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 certification, the quality and impact of the company's operations is constantly monitored, and always visible and accountable to the public.

"Automation has allowed us to produce great quantities of feed without having to maintain a large staff at the factories," explained Nyyssönen. "As we save on labor costs in the factories, we are able to invest more heavily in research and development, which will pay increasing dividends in the future."

As important as technology is for his company, he does not consider it a panacea. "Our strongest asset has always been our people," he said. "As we manufacture food close to the consumers, we are able to use our experience to tailor our products to local conditions. This is where the continued success of our company lies."

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