11. Food from abroad

Where does our food come from?

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In this section, we have examined the most important plants and animals that humans use as their food.

After reading the previous four chapters, can you explain from which plants and animals the following foods come from?

milk
French fries
spaghetti
tuna
pizza

All of the ingredients used in these foods cannot be produced domestically here in Finland. This is why many foods are imported from abroad. This means that they are brought here from other countries.

Cereals from abroad

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Cereals are imported to Finland every year from abroad. This is done even if the Finnish yield is good, because all of the cereals produced will not be fit for consumption. Durum wheat, which is used to make pasta, is also not produced domestically. It is imported to Finland from the Mediterranean.

All rice and maize consumed in Finland comes from other countries, as well. About half of the rye consumed in Finland is imported.

During bad agricultural years, almost all of the Finnish cereals are imported. This is done to guarantee that there will not be a shortage of cereal even when the summer is unfit for plant growth.

In the past, when there were bad agricultural years, it was not always possible to buy cereal from elsewhere. When this happened, people survived by replacing cereals with other food products.

Fruits and berries

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Because Finland is located far up north, fruits do not grow here very easily. Even apples only grow in the southern parts of the nation. Many tropical fruits cannot be grown in Finland because the Finnish summer is not warm enough. Such fruits include oranges and kiwis. Because Finnish people still want to eat tropical fruits, they must be brought here from other countries.

However, Finnish forests and fields are very suitable for growing berries. In the summer, we have access to large amounts of Finnish berries, such as blueberry and strawberry. These berries are also imported to Finland when the growing season is not in progress.

Imported fruits. Can you spot a blood orange, a mandarin, a coconut, an apple, a pineapple, a lemon, a banana and a kiwi?

Meat and meat products

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Large amounts of meat and meat products are imported to Finland every year. This is done to fill the demand for meat, and also because meat from other countries is sometimes cheaper than domestic meat.

The largest amounts of meat are imported to Finland from countries such as Germany, Denmark, Brazil and Poland. Especially the amount of imported pork has increased over the last couple of years.

Small quantities of rare meats, such as that of red deer, are also imported to restaurants and stores.

Meat is also imported in the form of meat products, such as bacon, ham, sausages and meatballs.

However, Finnish meat is preferred to imported meat by many. The reasons include the traceability, cleanness and safety of Finnish meat.

Fish

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The majority of the fish eaten in Finland come from other countries. Especially Norwegian salmon is brought to Finland in great quantities. Some of these salmon are imported fresh, whereas some have been frozen to make their transport easier.

Tuna is one of the most important canned foods in Finnish stores. It is only found in warm oceans, which is why it must be imported to Finland from other countries. Many species of tuna are endangered because of the fishing industry.

Small amounts of rare fish are also imported from countries far away. They are mostly sold to stores or restaurants.

Like meat, fish is also imported in the form of ready-made products, such as fish sticks and fish fillets.

Shrimps cannot be grown in Finnish waters, which is why they are imported to Finland in large quantities. They are mostly available frozen because this makes transporting them easier.

Terminology

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FOOD FROM ABROAD
Term	Explanation
fruit	Fruits are seed-bearing structures produced by certain plans such as apple or pear.
berry	Berries are seed-bearing structures that are smaller than fruit, such as those produced by strawberry and cranberry.
shrimp	A small aquatic crustacean used as food.