Added value from lake fish products

• Current Situation Assessment:
  Evaluate the suitability of existing production equipment and methods, and identify areas for improvement.
• Need for New Solutions:
  Explore new solutions for the fish sorting process, particularly optical sorting and machine vision technologies for mixed catch sorting methods.
• International Comparison:
  Study examples and best practices from Nordic countries, the Baltics, and Central and Southern Europe.
• Funding Options:
  Seek funding opportunities for the development of production technology and encourage stakeholders to move the development process forward.
• Promoting Collaboration:
  Assess the interest of companies and other stakeholders in joint procurement and participation in the development of new equipment, either individually or through collaboration with multiple partners.

These actions aim to promote automation in the fish processing sector and provide practical solutions to current challenges.

• Development of Quality Management System:Investigate the factors affecting the quality and variability of vendace roe, and define different quality categories and classifications using guidance from the Finnish Food Authority and international standards.
• Implementation of Test Suites:
  Conduct the necessary tests to establish processing guidelines for vendace roe and produce a proposal for the quality management system.
• Research and Testing of Pasteurization Method:
  Assess the suitability of the pasteurization method, test the pasteurization process, and evaluate its impact on the sensory properties of vendace roe and consumer acceptance.
• Comparison with Freezing:
  Examine the overall effects of the pasteurization process and compare it to freezing, focusing on aspects such as roe extraction, storage, cooling, packaging, and energy consumption.

These actions aim to develop the quality assurance process and pasteurization method for vendace roe, thereby enhancing product quality and market competitiveness.

• Assessment of Export Opportunities:
  Evaluate the export potential for small-sized vendace, smelt, and vendace roe to 2-3 potential target markets, such as Japan, Sweden, and the Baltics or Benelux countries. This assessment will include an estimation of export volume, purchase prices, technical requirements, logistical solutions, and expected quality.
• Mapping of Collaboration Models:
  Identify the most effective forms of collaboration in conjunction with industry experts, such as establishing a joint sales and marketing organization that ensures sufficient fishing and processing capacity, as well as delivery reliability for exports.
• Proposal for Future Operating Model:
  Develop proposals for a future operating model related to exports, including its benefits and challenges. This will also help support the growth of domestic trade.

These actions aim to enhance the knowledge of companies and stakeholders regarding the export opportunities for freshwater fish catches and promote the development of targeted collaborative networks in Eastern Finland.

• Assessment of Productization:
  Investigate the productization possibilities for individually quick-frozen vendace, vendace products, and other lake fish products. This includes product development for individually quick-frozen vendace aimed at consumer and horeca (hotel, restaurant, catering) customers, generating alternative ideas, conducting surveys and interviews, performing product tests, and summarizing the results.
• Quality Comparison:
  Examine the horeca sector’s perceptions of the usability and quality differences between fresh and individually quick-frozen vendace, with the goal of demonstrating that the quality of individually quick-frozen vendace is comparable to that of fresh vendace.
• Exploration of Product Development Support:
  Investigate opportunities for product development support, assembling subcontracting networks, and increasing companies’ knowledge about public and private food service procurement processes, particularly in the Eastern Finland region.
• Promoting Collaboration:
  Assess the interest of Eastern Finnish food service providers in a joint product development process with fish processing companies and facilitate the establishment of collaboration.

These actions aim to enhance the potential of fish processing and offer consumers and the horeca sector appealing and user-friendly products, which can lead to significant growth and value creation in the industry.

• Supporting Partnerships:
  Throughout the duration of the project, efforts will be made to support the establishment of partnerships. This will be accomplished through multi-channel communication and information dissemination, as well as organizing events targeted at businesses.
• Active Interaction:
  Project staff will actively engage with companies and visit them during the project, fostering interaction and collaboration.
• Contact and Synergy Benefits:
  The project will reach out to international, national, and regional networks and partnerships related to commercial fishing and the food industry to seek synergy benefits for the initiative.
• Highlighting Current Issues:
  The project will also aim to raise awareness of current issues relevant to companies, such as guidelines or legislative changes, helping businesses stay up to date.
• Reporting and Goal Monitoring:
  The project will report on its activities according to the funder’s guidelines and monitor the achievement of its objectives, ensuring effective progress and results.

These actions comprehensively support the project’s goal of promoting collaboration and information exchange among businesses while ensuring the effective utilization and dissemination of the project’s results.