nofima.no
Creating value
2013
29
Partners:
King Oscar, Hurtigruten, Lofotenmat,
Anita Gylseth Sjømat and
De Historiske – historic hotels &
restaurants
Financed by:
Innovation
Norway
King Oscar wants to test whether Lofoten cod liver and Lofoten cod liver pâté catch on among tourists in Norway.
photo: Bjørn Tore Forberg © nofima
Nofima has carried out a comprehensive study of tourists
to identify what type of souvenirs they wish to take
home from Norway. The scientists interviewed repre-
sentatives from restaurants and food retailers as well as
tourists.
“Tourists don’t only want to take home handicrafts
and postcards of the Midnight Sun. Food is an important
part of the holiday experience and it is also important as
a souvenir,” says Scientist Trude Borch.
Tailor-made for tourists:
But food products must be
adapted for the purpose. They must be durable and cor-
rectly packed. The tourists want food souvenirs that are
small, do not smell and in packaging that does not leak.
They also want the souvenir to tell a story.
In collaboration with the canning company King Oscar,
the Nofima scientists have developed a prototype of a
culinary souvenir. The product is a well illustrated box
containing a can of Lofoten cod pâté and a can of
Lofoten cod liver. The package features the Norwegian
flag, a picture of King Oscar and the story about the cod
that comes to Lofoten to make love and spawn. There
are also serving suggestions for the pâté and the cod
liver.
Prototype presented on Hurtigruten:
The prototype
was presented on the Hurtigruten ship MS Midnatsol
in June. As well as positive response from tourists, the
scientists received feedback on the prototype from the
Hurtigruten managers. They were satisfied with the
product, but also had suggestions for improvements.
The prototype is now tested in four of the project’s
partner enterprises. Further tourist surveys will be under-
taken as part of the ongoing work.
“We hope that this project can inspire innovation
in the tourism and seafood industry with respect to
food souvenirs. There is clearly a market for good food
souvenirs and existing products have the potential to be
adapted to this market,” says Borch.
With food increasing in popularity as souvenirs, Nofima is helping the
seafood industry to develop food products for tourists to take home.
A taste of seafood souvenirs
