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communications, for example,” says Soile
Hannonen.
Soile has been pleased to find out that the
knowledge provided by the training helps
her offer new alternatives to customers and
solutions to their problems.
“Just a little while ago, a customer asked
for gluten-free bread when a coeliac friend
of hers was coming for a visit. I showed her
the store's wide selection of gluten-free
bread, ranging from toast to loaves and
rolls – fresh, frozen or available on a special
shelf,” says Soile.
MONOSODIUM GLUTAMATE
REMOvED FROM PIRKKA
PRODUCTS
During the past four years, Kesko Food's
product research has been reducing sugar,
fat and salt from Pirkka products that contain
much of them. By the end of 2011, nearly
90 Pirkka products had been reformulated.
Monosodium glutamate (E621) has been
removed from nearly 50 Pirkka products.
Kesko Food has made a decision to reduce
monosodium glutamate, even if legislation
does not require so.
“Several studies have proved that monosodium
glutamate is a safe additive in reasonable
quantities. For some people, however,
glutamates cause headaches, palpitations
and nausea. Some think that monosodium
glutamate creates a sensation of the fifth
basic taste, the pleasant umami taste, while
others think that it gives an industrial taste
to foodstuffs. We have removed monosodium
glutamate from Pirkka cold cuts and
Pirkka kebab hamburgers, for example,”
says Matti Kalervo, Kesko Food's Product
Research Manager.
FRUIT AND vEGETABLES AT ONE
EURO FROM K-SUPERMARKETS
A large and well-managed fruit and vegetable
department is one of the most important
departments of the K-food store. K-supermarkets
have, on average, 70 varieties of
fruit and 150 vegetables and root crops in
their selections. In addition, retailers complement
their selections with products from
local producers.
During the 2011 autumn event, all of the
more than 200 K-supermarkets in Finland
organised a Fruit&Veg campaign, in which
different fruit and vegetables were offered
at one euro per kilo, package, box or bag.
Retailers participate actively in the annual
fruit and vegetable campaign. During the
campaign, sales of fruit and vegetables multiply.
Customers have thanked us for the
campaign and asked about the date of the
next campaign.
“The Fruit&Veg campaign is the absolute
culmination of the event in our store. All
the staff of the department take part in its
planning, well in advance. Customers carry
home bags full of fruit. Favourable prices
also inspire them to try more exotic fruits,”
says Veli-Pekka Hussi, retailer of K-supermarket
Manhattan in Turku.
BERRIES ARE DOMESTIC
SUPER FOOD
According to nutritional recommendations,
we should, in addition to fruit and vegetables,
eat different wild berries, which contain
lots of vitamins, trace elements and flavonoids.
The most commonly used domestic
berries include blueberry, lingonberry,
cloudberry, sea buckthorn and crowberry.
In the Pirkka range, you can find domestic
frozen strawberries, blueberries and lingonberries.
During the harvest season, K-food
stores also sell fresh domestic strawberries
and highbush blueberries under the Pirkka
label. In the summer and autumn, K-food
retailers also buy berries from local berry
pickers and farmers.
“We should eat fresh berries as much as
possible during the harvest season. Berries
are light domestic super food and excellent
in baking. Berries are also an ingredient in
tasty smoothies and other refreshing beverages.
Fresh berries bought or self-picked
in the summer can be preserved for winter,
either frozen, as jam or juice,” says Heta
Rautpalo, Kesko Food's Consumer Service
Manager.
In 2011, Kesko's Board of Directors donated
€10,000 to the Arctic Flavours Association,
which promotes the use of berries and other
natural products.
CUSTOMERS INqUIRE ABOUT
HEALTHy EATING
Kesko Food's Consumer Service unit answers
customers' questions and feedback every
day. In 2011, the unit had 20,215 customer
contacts.
“Different fats, additives, organic, Fairtrade
and domestic products as well as the
countries of origin of products are issues
that generated discussion and raised questions
over the year. Customers want to have
more information about the salt content,
omega-3 fatty acids and the use of additives
in products. Occasionally, assistance
is needed in the interpretation of nutrient
labelling: the GDA label – the Guideline Daily
Amount – is still causing some confusion
among consumers,” says Heta Rautpalo.
Many consumers contact the unit to
thank us for stocking those products that
are suitable for their diets.
“Many customers are pleased that monosodium
glutamate has been removed from
cold cuts. Some prefer artificially sweetened
light products, while others go for full-fat
products sweetened with sugar. We constantly
receive thanks for organic products,
but also questions about their origins, the
supervision of organic production and the
use of additives,” says Heta Rautpalo.
SPORT FOR ALL
Intersport, Kesko's sports store chain,
encourages people to be physically active.
Intersport offers a diverse range of sports
equipment and encourages customers to
participate in sports. There are 56 Intersport
stores in Finland and 36 in Russia.
Occupational Health award to
Occupational Health Physician
Helena Rossi
HEalTHINEss
The Finnish Association of Occupational Health Physicians granted this year's
Occupational Health award to Helena Rossi, Kesko's Occupational Health
Physician-in-Charge for her distinguished work in the training project for the
treatment of depression, run by the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health.
Helena Rossi participated, in cooperation with specialists, in coordinating and
conducting a nationwide depression training tour of the Finnish Institute of
Occupational Health in 2008–2011. According to the jury, Helena Rossi and
Katinka Tuisku, Specialist in Psychiatry and the project trainer for the Finnish
Institute of Occupational Health, have successfully adopted good practices
in the treatment of depression and also written a guidebook on depression
treatment tools for use by Occupational Health Service units.
Kesko Corporate Responsibility Report 2011 37