A large drought across North America caused global oat yields to drop dramatically at a time when demand for oat milk and oat-based dairy and vegan alternatives spiked. Oat milk overtook almond as the plant-based milk of choice in 2021 and the market is expected to expand rapidly to a CAGR of around 7% by 2030.

Finland is the second largest exporter of oats in the world, after Canada. In part this is because Finnish oats have more resilience, thanks to the Arctic cold which kills crop diseases and preventing a shortage of Finnish oats. Crisp Nordic winters and extremely light summers, in addition to the purest groundwater in the world, ensure Finnish oats grow to extremely high quality.

Responding to consumer demand for oat-based food products, leading Finnish food manufacturers have introduced a range of versatile oat products which are helping to spawn a global oatsmarket projected to reach $10.8 billion by 2032.

The University of Helsinki is also exploring the potential of meat alternatives made from Finnish oat fibre. Last year, Finnish manufacturer Fazer also invested $40 million in a Lahti-based factory developing the world’s first Xylitol sugar substitute - made from side streams of processing oats - which can be used as a sweetener or base ingredient in manufacturing.

– As the oat market experiences a shortage, resilient Finnish oats present an opportunity for manufacturers and food retailers to continue to capture rising consumer demand. In collaboration with Sweden we aim to enhance the reach of Nordic oats around the world. The Food from Finland program is therefore calling on manufacturers and retailers to embrace Finland’s oats and its innovative food tech ecosystem of ready-to-eat oat-based products,” says Annaleena Soult, Program Manager, Food from Finland, Business Finland.

Many oat-based products using Finnish oats are already available in several markets around the world.

more about Finnish oats:

Finland is one of the largest oat producers in the world, with oats its number one crop. The country produces 14% of all European oats – approximately 1.1 million tons and exports 80-90% of its organic oat production to international markets. Production and export of gluten free oats is also growing significantly.

Finnish Oats www.finnish-oats.fi
The Nordic Oats www.thenordicoats.com