Food security, climate change and geopolitical instability are making it increasingly important for the Nordic dairy countries to learn from one another and collaborate across borders. That is the view of Kari Toikkanen, President of the Nordic Dairy Technology Council.

In an interview with Mælkeritidende, Kari Toikkanen points out that the Nordic countries are facing many of the same challenges – from climate change and food security to changing production conditions and geopolitical uncertainty. As a result, Nordic cooperation is becoming increasingly important for the dairy industry.

“Nordic cooperation and cohesion are a valuable characteristic – one worth maintaining across all sectors, and certainly in the dairy world,” he says.

Food security has become a shared agenda
According to Kari Toikkanen, supply chain resilience has become a common Nordic challenge.

Among other things, he highlights that the concentration of food production around densely populated areas may make food supply systems more vulnerable – particularly in countries with large geographical distances and sparsely populated regions.

“The concentration of the food industry in the vicinity of densely populated areas is, in my view, a genuine threat – to the vitality of these sparsely populated regions, to security of supply, and to the integrity of the supply chains that originate there,” he says.

At the same time, he emphasises that Nordic dairy companies already inspire one another significantly when it comes to technology, production and innovation.

Nordic Dairy Congress brings the industry together
Kari Toikkanen also highlights Nordic Dairy Congress as an important platform for knowledge-sharing and collaboration across the dairy sector. The congress brings together companies, researchers and suppliers from across the Nordic region to exchange experiences and discuss new solutions.

“What is shared here has already been implemented and tested in practice. Participants come with real experiences to share – not just concepts,” he says.

The next Nordic Dairy Congress will take place in Finland in 2028.

Read the full interview with Kari Toikkanen in Mælkeritidende no. 4, published on 12 June.

By Maja Løvstrup
Photo: Mejerimedier