Low organic consumption in the North

During the last few years, significant investments in organic production and marketing have been made by the regional councils in collaboration with TINE and actors in the agricultural sector. This year, a new project seeking to stimulate the organic milk production in northern Norway received over 2 million NOK in funding.

Yet, the organic consumption remains significantly lower in northern Norway. In the northern regions, people consume an average of 1.5 liter organic dairy products per year, compared to 2.1 liters in the south or Norway, according to TINE.

The difference in attitude towards organic food is noticed by Tove Mosti Berg, who is a board member of Nordland Bondelag, a regional section of the Norwegian Farmer’s Trade Union. “I travel a lot around the country. People in the south demand much more organic food. They make a point of that what they consume should be natural. They don’t want to eat products that contain pesticides”, she says to NRK.

In addition to the regional attitude differences, the assortment of products is another factor that explain the differences in the consumption pattern. “The main reason is that there is a smaller selection of organic products in northern Norway compared to the rest of the country”, says Hanne Strand, who leads the new project for organic milk production up north.

Mosti Berg also point to a lack of interest among some of the shop owners. “Unfortunately we hear about some supermarkets where the organic milk is left in the cold store and not displayed to the costumers. We need an attitude change among the shop owners”, she says.