The Chinese people are interested in Finland. The purity of nature and the opportunity to see the northern lights are attracting an unprecedented number of Chinese travellers to Finland. According to Visit Finland, China accounted for the biggest increase in the number of overnight stays in Finland last year, by 33 percent. The rising trend in Finland’s image is also reflected by the fact that in January 2018 the Chinese magazine Travelling Scope ranked Finland as the top destination for winter travel.*

These elements valued by the Chinese will soon be available also on the shelves of local premium supermarkets and online through new retail grocery chains, where selected products of the Omega-3 Pork® innovation will be found in the upcoming weeks.

“Exports to China have got off to a good start and we are excited about this significant step. HKScan is one of the first Finnish companies to operate in the premium category in the Chinese market,” says Jukka Nikkinen, head of HKScan exports.

Exports to China have advanced as planned

HKScan started exporting pork from Forssa, Finland to China in April 2018. During the first six months, meaty bones and feet, which are highly valued and important raw ingredients in Chinese cuisine, have been included in the container shipments to China.

Nordic Lotus Food Co, HKScan & Zhejiang Qinglian Food’s joint venture to sell and market premium products, was officially registered at the end of September 2018.

“Now we can start the customer presentations of the premium products selection and concept. Production will commence in Haiyan, China, in the upcoming weeks. The product selection consists of tasty and tender Omega-3 Pork® products that are high in omega-3 fatty acids,” Nikkinen says.

The packages and products designed for the Chinese market clearly stand out from what is currently offered on the market and create an entirely new and significant opportunity to commercialize the Finnish food chain expertise in export markets.

“We are proud to be bringing to Chinese consumers meat that is delicious, healthy and safe and produced with professional expertise at HKScan’s contracted family farms. Our exciting packaging will surely stand out on the shelf. It’ll be great to see in practice how we can create significant added value for the world-class work of Finnish producers of pork,” says a delighted Nikkinen.

HKScan’s aim is to ship roughly three million kilograms of pork to China during the first year and to triple that volume by 2020. Relative to the volume of pork currently produced, this means that at least five per cent of all Finnish-reared pigs would end up on Chinese dining tables through HKScan.

Background factsheet:

HKScan launched pork exports to China from its Forssa production unit on 23 April, 2018.

HKScan’s products will be targeted at the Chinese retail sector, industrial customers and the HoReCa sector. The targeted export volume for the first year is 3 000 tonnes of pork meat, with plans to triple that volume by 2020.

On 26 February 2018, HKScan signed an agreement to establish a joint venture in China with Zhejiang Qinglian Food Co. Ltd. The agreement was signed in Haiyan, a town near Shanghai where Qinglian Food is headquartered.

HKScan currently exports meat to nearly 50 countries. This includes pork exported to numerous EU countries as well as to New Zealand and Japan.

The Chinese food authorities granted an export permit to HKScan’s Forssa plant, which is ISO 9001, 14001 and FSSC 22 000 certified. The unit already had export licenses for other markets including the USA and Russia.

HKScan sources its Finnish meat raw material directly from its 3 400 pig, beef and poultry contract farmers.

Rypsiporsas® (Omega-3 pork) is a globally unique innovation developed on the basis of years of meticulous research. In Finland the product is known as Rypsiporsas® and in Sweden as Rapsgris®. Omega-3 pork pigs are fed on domestic grain and rapeseed grown exclusively on local farms in Finland and Sweden. All protein sources in the animal feed – rapeseed, peas and broad beans – are also 100% domestically grown. No soy meal is required as an additional protein source. The piglets’ diet is carefully monitored, as is the composition of their feed, their consumption, and their growth rates. In Finland, all Omega-3 pork® meat is sourced exclusively from carefully selected Finnish farms. Omega-3 pork® is softer-textured and healthier in fat composition, as unsaturated fatty acids predominate over saturated fats, which also makes the meat tastier and tenderer than regular pork.

Read more:

23.4.2018 HKScan launches pork exports to China: https://www.hkscan.com/en/newsroom/press-releases/2018/04/hkscan-launches-pork-exports-to-a2348/

27.2.2018 HKScan to launch joint venture in China – Finnish Rypsiporsas® (Omega-3 Pork) differentiates from the competition with superior quality and responsible production:
https://www.hkscan.com/portal/english/hkscan/news_releases/?id=2329

18.6.2018 How to make the Chinese consumer happy: https://www.hkscan.com/en/newsroom/story-kitchen/2018/naked-pork-and-healthy-fat/

Further information: HKScan Media Service Desk tel. +358 (0)10 570 5700 or email communications@hkscan.com

HKScan is a Nordic meat and meals company. We employ over 7 300 professionals in striving to serve the world's most demanding consumers, maintaining quality throughout the full chain of operations, From Farm to Fork. HKScan produces, markets and sells high-quality, sustainably produced pork, beef, poultry and lamb products, as well as charcuterie and meals, with strong consumer brands, including HK®, Scan®, Rakvere®, Kariniemen®, Rose®, Pärsons® and Tallegg®. Our customers are the retail, food service, industrial and export sectors, and our home market comprises of Finland, Sweden, Denmark and the Baltics. We export to close to 50 countries. In 2017, HKScan had net sales of EUR 1.8 billion, making us one of Europe’s leading meat and meals companies.

*Source: Visit Finland 

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