Family farms, traceability, food safety, domestic origin... Product labels are full of information, but how should we actually communicate a product’s sustainability to consumers? Vilhelmiina Erkkola, Vice President of Business Development, Convenience food Atria Finland, has worked for Atria for almost 15 years and knows the answer. Erkkola has extensive experience, especially of integrating the strategy into business operations and of commercial processes, both in marketing and product category management. In this interview, Erkkola explains how Atria uses its products to communicate its sustainability efforts.

 

Products inform consumers about Atria’s sustainability efforts

Erkkola explains that while consumers’ shopping trips are often very routine, they still make dozens of choices while in the store. Product information must therefore be easily accessible. Consumers would also like to have more information about how sustainable the products are, so this information should be clearly communicated on the packaging. “Atria products reflect the company’s commitment to sustainability. Consumers often learn about Atria's sustainability efforts through our products,” Erkkola explains.

 

Erkkola points out that consumers’ appetite for information about sustainability has increased, and there is increasing demand for transparency. However, Atria has known for decades that the taste, price and domestic origin of a product are often the key factors affecting consumers’ purchasing decisions. Today, however, consumers are increasingly aware and want more detailed information about the origin of the products, for example.

 

Atria also wants to communicate the sustainability of its products to consumers through clear product labelling. Among other things, the labels highlight the products’ carbon footprint and health benefits. Erkkola cites the Heart Symbol used in Finland as one example: to qualify for it, a product must meet strict criteria related to the quality and quantity of fat in the product and the reduction of the salt content, for example. In Sweden and Denmark, similar information is indicated by the Keyhole Label. The Heart Symbol makes it easy for consumers to know that the product is a better choice in these respects within its product category.

 

Farm traceability communicates trust

Vilhelmiina Erkkola cites farm-to-table traceability as a particularly notable success in giving tangible form to Atria’s sustainability efforts. The family farm concept and traceability are at the heart of Atria’s sustainability efforts, as they clearly demonstrate the transparency of the supply chain and build consumer trust. Traceability is a unique way to highlight a product’s sustainability, even by international standards.

 

“Domestic origin and animal welfare are important issues for consumers. We know that the family farm label has a big effect on consumers. We provide very comprehensive information about where the food comes from, and this single label addresses many aspects of sustainability at the same time,” Erkkola notes.

 

Information relevant to consumers

Vilhelmiina Erkkola notes that consumers consider several factors before making a purchasing decision. In addition to farm traceability, she highlights label information that products are free of antibiotics, which many consumers also associate with the healthiness megatrend. Atria communicates the Finnish origin of the products with the Hyvää Suomesta (Produce of Finland) label, which indicates both the domestic origin of the food and the fact that the ingredients are Finnish. The Heart Symbol, meanwhile, indicates that the product is good for health. The carbon footprint is also stated on the packaging, and among other things, it takes packaging materials, other raw materials, and emissions generated during production into account.

 

Erkkola says that while there are many positive aspects to Atria’s sustainability efforts that the company wants to communicate to consumers, choices must still be made all the time – particularly regarding how the information is presented, and which information in particular should be included on packaging, for example. Amid all these choices, we must also cater to an increasingly diverse group of consumers. “We know exactly what factors influence consumers' purchasing decisions. As the consumer market is quite fragmented, we have to make careful choices about the information we decide to highlight in our products,” Erkkola explains.

 

Convenience to become more important

Food trends are changing, and so are consumer needs. These days, in addition to sustainable products, convenience and speed are key priorities in our busy daily lives. “The dominant trend across the food sector currently is convenience, and the boundaries of cooking have also shifted in our time. The idea of what is considered cooking has changed completely in the last ten years.”

 

Atria strives to meet these consumer needs by developing products that are in demand. For Erkkola, the future looks exciting, especially when she analyses how sustainability actions can be translated into real added value for consumers and communicated in a way that reaches busy customers.