A Finnish meat producer will export 3 million kilos of pork to China
Jukka Nikkinen, head of HKScan exports, said in a statement that the pork requirements in China are among the world's strictest and that the company's key strengths in the Chinese market are "great flavor and the world-class expertise of Finnish family farms."
"The Chinese utilize all parts of the carcass in their cuisine. Our customers are interested in carcass parts that might seem exotic from a European perspective, such as meaty bones and feet, which are highly valued and important raw ingredients in Chinese cuisine. These cuts are also included in the first shipment," Mr. Nikkinen added.
The company plans for this year to export almost 3 million kilos of pork to China and to subsequently triple that volume by 2020.
"Relative to the volume of pork currently produced annually in Finland, this would mean that at least 5% of all Finnish-reared pigs would end up on Chinese dining tables through HKScan," the company's statement read.
HKScan announced that it will mark its presence on the Asian market not only with products that are traditionally sold here but also with premium-grade value-added products generally marketed only in the Nordic region, such as sirloin and tenderloin cuts. HKScan's Omega-3 pork is the company's flagship innovation in the premium category.
"Finland's politicians and authorities have done an excellent job at supporting Finnish food exports. On behalf of HKScan, I would like to extend a warm word of thanks to the Finnish Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, the Finnish Food Safety Authority and to all other authorities in Finland and China, without forgetting the excellent input of our partners in China and own personnel. Our Chinese partners have helped us gain valuable insights into the minds and hearts of Chinese consumers and customers," says CEO Latvanen.
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.
The Finish company exports meat to almost 50 countries, including countries from EU as well as New Zealand and Japan, and it supplies its meat from 3,400 pig, beef, and poultry contract farmers.
HKScan produces its premium products known as Rypsiporsas in Finland and as Rapsgris in Sweden and are based on Omega-3 pork pigs which are fed on domestic grain and rapeseed grown exclusively on local farms in Finland and Sweden.
The company added that 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.
HKScan's Omega-3 pork in Finland is sourced from carefully selected Finnish farms. According to the company, this type of meat 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.
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