Press release: New brand label for food producers in the North Sea Region
The new brand “Sustainably produced by the North Sea Region” is designed to enable consumers to make an informed choice.
- With this brand producers are making a promise to the consumer that they are contributing to mitigate the effects of climate change; assisting in the development of sustainable agricultural methods and helping to ensure that farmland, affected by climate change, will remain in production, says Louise Krogh Johnson, Business Development Manager at Food &Bio Cluster Denmark.
The brand, which is intended for farmers and food producers in the North Sea Region, has been developed by Food & Bio Cluster Denmark within the Interreg North Sea Region project SalFar. SalFar develops innovative methods of saline farming as well as creating new opportunities and business strategies for farmers, food producers and entrepreneurs.
The label can be used by farmers and producers of food and products that have been sustainably cultivated in saline affected areas. In this way, farmers and food producers can label their products to assure their customers that with this purchase they contribute to mitigating the effects of climate change in the North Sea Region.
- ‘Sustainably produced’ is a broad concept. However, in this context sustainable production is defined as enabling or maintaining food production in areas that are otherwise unsuitable for growing food due to increased soil salinity and without using additional fresh water or causing further environmental damage, Louise explains.
Who can use the brand label?
To be able to use the brand label on food products the products must be grown or produced in the North Sea Region. Crops must also meet one or more of the following criteria:
- the crops have been irrigated with brackish water.
- the crops have been produced in saline affected soil.
- the crops have been produced using saline-grown feed for animal production (feed or pasture).
- the crops have been fertilised with seaweed.
- the products have been produced from ingredients conforming to the above criteria
The brand label is already being used
On the Dutch island of Texel, the new brand label has already been applied to potatoes produced by some pioneer farmers. They were trained by Salt Farm Foundation, a SalFar partner that does research on crops which can grow in saline conditions. Potatoes have been grown in saline soil and were irrigated with brackish water. In addition, the potatoes have been fertilized with seaweed extract, which has increased the yield, and right now they are testing whether the seaweed fertilizer also has a positive effect on taste.
Photo credit @Salt Farm Foundation
Food producers in the North Sea Region, who are interested in using the SalFar brand logo are encouraged to contact Louise Krogh Johnson, Business Development Manager at Food & Bio Cluster Denmark lkj@foodbiocluster.dk.
For further information please contact
Louise Krogh Johnson, Business Development Manager at Food &Bio Cluster Denmark: lkj@foodbiocluster.dk,
+45 2154 5909 or
Angelica Kaus, SalFar Project Manager from Province of Groningen: a.m.kaus@rug.nl, +31 (0) 50 3164188