Distinguished guests,

It is both an honour and a pleasure to welcome you to Nordic Food Day. I hope you’ve enjoyed this morning’s presentations and the delicious samples from our many esteemed producers.

Food is one of the most powerful expressions of culture and values. It tells the story of the land it comes from and reflects the history, traditions, and aspirations of the people who create it.

From a distance, the Nordic countries may appear quite similar. And indeed, we share many cultural traits and a deep appreciation for each other’s culinary traditions. Yet, our diverse natural environments have shaped distinct food cultures across the region.

Around the world, some of the most treasured foods have emerged from necessity—adaptations to harsh climates and the need to preserve food over long periods. In my home, the Faroe Islands, our most distinctive culinary tradition is ræst—fermented food. Our climate, situated in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, with its stable low temperatures, strong winds, and salty air, allows us to ferment and dry fish, whale, and lamb simply by hanging them and letting nature do the work. These specialties are a gift from our environment, enabling us to survive and thrive—even through long periods of isolation.

Elsewhere in the Nordic region, different conditions have led to different culinary paths, resulting in a rich diversity of tastes and experiences. Together, we form a vibrant and varied food region, united by a shared reverence for our fresh and abundant nature.

Although we share many values across the Nordics, our food traditions were not always held in high regard. For a long time, international cuisines were considered more refined than our own.

Fortunately, this began to change twenty years ago, when visionary and value-driven chefs across the Nordics came together to create the Nordic Kitchen Manifesto—a set of principles rooted in purity, seasonality, ethics, health, sustainability, and quality.

This manifesto sparked a movement among chefs, farmers, fishers, brewers, and other food producers to explore the strengths of Nordic cuisine and demonstrate how our food can make a meaningful impact. The New Nordic Food movement has not only brought international acclaim to our restaurants but also fostered greater respect for every link in the food production chain. It has inspired consumers to take a deeper interest in food innovation, resourcefulness, and waste reduction.

This movement was made possible by the values we share across our countries. But many of these values—such as sustainability, health, and ethical production—are universal. They align closely with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. That’s why the New Nordic Food movement need not be unique to the Nordics. On the contrary, it can serve as a model for fostering self-respect and self-reliance in food systems around the world.

Today, the companies presenting here represent a wide spectrum of the food industry. They share a commitment to sustainable food systems and a vision for deeper international collaboration. We are especially excited about strengthening ties with Japan—a country with a rich and respected food culture—and we warmly welcome opportunities for cooperation with Japanese buyers, suppliers, and consumers.

At the same time, our ambition reaches beyond regional partnerships. We believe that the values and innovations of the New Nordic Food movement can inspire and connect food communities across the globe. We invite partners from all corners of the world to join us in building resilient, respectful, and sustainable food systems—together.

Thank you all for being here. I look forward to speaking with many of you during the break.

After the next speaker, Ida Heiman Larsen, Deputy Secretary General of the Nordic Council of Ministers, Halla Nolsøe, Director of the West Nordic Cooperation (NORA), will introduce our lunch—created in the spirit of the New Nordic Food movement.