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FINALLY EQUALLY NORWEGIAN On January 6th, the news broke: Norwegian seafood can now be labeled with Nyt Norge ("Enjoy Norway"). For the first time since 2009, seafood is included under the same quality umbrella as agricultural products. The interesting part? 26 percent of consumers already thought Norwegian fish had the Nyt Norge label. WHAT TOOK SO LONG? Norway is the world's largest seafood exporter. We export 38 million seafood meals every day. Seafood is our second-largest export industry after oil and gas – €14.6B in exports in 2023. Yet Norwegian seafood has not been part of what we officially stamp as "Norwegian quality" until now. Same country, same coast – two different ways of communicating "Norwegianness." TWO FOOD SYSTEMS – ONE COUNTRY This isn't just about a label. It's about how we view Norwegian food production. Seafood Norway has long argued that seafood must be fully integrated into Norwegian food security. Calculations show that Norwegian seafood alone can cover nearly 70 percent of the population's energy needs in a severe crisis. Yet there has been no clear plan for how this resource should be part of Norwegian preparedness. There's a symbolism in the fact that agriculture and seafood haven't shared the same quality label. As if food from land and food from sea have different value, even though both are equally Norwegian and equally critical for food security. THE QUESTION GOING FORWARD Now that the label is in place: Will Norwegian seafood get the same place in public procurement as agricultural products? Will canteens and schools prioritize Norwegian fish the same way they do Norwegian meat? And most importantly: Will politicians begin to see seafood as a natural part of Norwegian local food – not just as an export commodity? At Reddiksen, seafood is an obvious part of the picture. We started collaborating with the seafood producer Torsvågbruket early and every day we see how short supply chains create value. Maybe the rest of the food industry is starting to realize the same.