All the breads we bake in Finland are baked from Finnish flour whenever possible.

However, not all ingredients for bread are available in Finland. Of the ingredients of the fresh breads baked in the Vaasan brand's Finland, 95% of the volume is of Finnish origin.

Bakeries in Estonia and Lithuania also bake mainly from local ingredients.

Many additives are quite familiar substances used in cooking – the kind that are also used at home. Food authorities have given this group the name additives because they are used in cooking and baking as an aid in addition to the actual ingredients.

Many people think that additives are only found in food. In reality, many of them are compounds that occur naturally – quite naturally. If the ingredients contained in lingonberries were listed in the same way as, for example, the ingredients of bread, the list of ingredients would look like this:
Water, sugar, fibre, vitamins, minerals, acids (E 200, E 210), gelling agents (E 440), colours (E 160a, E 163) and flavourings (Source: Food additives, Evira 2010).

Additives are used in food preparation at home, in institutional kitchens and in the food industry. Additives are used to influence the safety, texture, appearance, taste and shelf life of food. The use of additives is regulated by food legislation, and their use must always be indicated on the labelling. See more about additives: evira.fi

Preservatives are only used in a few Vaasan breads, which have so-called long shelf life. Because rye bread is naturally acidic, no preservatives are needed in rye products.

Preservatives are naturally occurring acids, such as sorbic acid (found in rowan berries, for example). Preservatives prevent mould in the bread. In addition, in some coffee breads, the sweet or savory filling may contain preservatives. The filling manufacturer adds a preservative to their product to improve storage durability and product safety. If a preservative filling is used in the manufacture of the product, this is indicated on the package label. Omitting the preservative would reduce the shelf life of the product and jeopardise safety.

Emulsifiers promote the uniform mixing of ingredients and affect the appearance and texture of the product. Emulsifiers occur naturally in many foods, such as fats. The emulsifiers we use are plant-based.

All Vaasan bread products use only plant-based fats, mostly rapeseed oil.

According to the guidelines of the Finnish Food Authority, a bread can be called oat bread if more than 50% of its grain ingredients are oats. If the oat content is lower, the bread can be referred to, for example, as oat-mixed bread.

A bread can be called rye bread if more than 50% of the flour used in baking it is rye. Wheat flour or wheat gluten is often added to rye breads to improve their bakeability, structure, and texture.

Yes, with the exception of Vaasan Ohut Kauraherkku, which uses sea salt. The Finnish Food Authority recommends that bakeries use iodized salt in all their production to improve the iodine intake of the Finnish population.

Vaasan does not have loaf bread production lines in Finland, and the expertise and technology for toast bread are centralized in Estonia and Lithuania. The Isopaahto and Taika breads are produced in these countries.

The Climate & Nature label found on Vaasan's rye bread packages indicates that the rye we procure has been grown more sustainably than before. Climate & Nature from Lantmännen, the owner of Vaasan, is a farming programme for the future, where grain is grown according to farming criteria that reduce climate impact and support biodiversity. The cultivation programme is implemented in cooperation with Finnish contract farmers. With the measures of the programme, it is possible to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from domestic rye cultivation by up to 30 per cent compared to the average rye cultivation in 2015–2020, when the programme was not in use. The aim of the programme is to ensure the viability of cereals in the future by creating a profitable, productive and more sustainable way of farming.
More information: lantmannen.fi/ilmasto-ja-luonto.

Salt is one of the most important ingredients for a baker, and its amount in bread affects many things. Salt gives the bread flavor, but it also has an effect on the bread's bakability, texture and shelf life. Most of our breads are normally salty (max 1.1 g of salt/100 g), because with low salt contents, the structure of the bread easily breaks down and the taste disappears. 

Our selection also includes Vaasan Piimälimppu and Vaasan Kaurasydän, which contain less salt.

Of the Vaasan crispbreads, Vaasan Koulunäkki and Vaasan Koulunäkki Kunto contain less salt.

In almost all Western countries, including Finland, the intake of fibre is too low compared to the recommendations. For example, in Finland, the recommended fibre intake is 25–35 g/day, but on average, Finnish women get an average of 20 g/day and men 22 g/day. The most important source of fibre for Finns is cereal products, especially bread. For women, a fifth of all fibre is obtained from rye bread, and for men, rye bread covers almost a third of the fibre in the diet (Finravinto 2017 study). In addition to rye bread, other wholegrain breads are also the best sources of fiber.

According to the new Nordic nutrition recommendations, it is recommended to eat at least 90 grams of whole grain per day. At the moment, Finns do not reach the recommendations, as men eat an average of about 63 grams of whole grain and women about 47 grams per day (FinRavinto 2017 study). 

Whole grain bread is an excellent source of whole grains. Whole grain bread is not recognizable by its appearance, as whole grain can be groats, flakes or flour – not necessarily whole grains. The color of the bread also does not indicate the whole grain content. Bread can be called wholegrain bread if it contains at least 50% whole grain. So the name of the bread already says a lot, the packaging labels even more. For example, one slice of Vaasa's 100% Oat Wholegrain Oat Bread contains about 18 g of wholegrain, which means that the recommended daily intake of whole grains is met by five slices.

Bread is best stored in its own packaging at room temperature. Bread should not be stored in the refrigerator, as the temperature in the refrigerator is the worst possible for the preservation of bread. In the refrigerator, the bread crumbles and hardens. The second best option is to freeze the bread and defrost it as needed. Bread should be frozen as soon as it is fresh, and the recommended maximum period of freezer storage is two to three months.

Bread and pastry packages must indicate the date until which the quality of the product remains first-class when stored in accordance with the recommendations. In the case of fresh breads, the best-before date marking can be found on the closing ribbon of the bread package.

The product can be used even after the best before date. You can use your senses to assess the edibility of food: look, feel, smell and taste whether the bread or other food is still edible.

The bread can be frozen in its own bag, but it is good to note that the bag may become a little brittle when frozen. It is a good idea to take the bag to thaw on a surface that does not suffer from the moisture caused by the melting bag.

Unfortunately, our bread baked from 100% oats is not suitable for celiacs, as we bake our bread on a line that also bakes breads containing other grains.

Yes, Vaasan Moilas Free From is a product family of gluten-free fresh breads created in collaboration between two bakeries, which includes six variants: Dark Sourdough, Soft Flatbread Pieces, Oat-Flax, Wholegrain Oat Slices, Carrot Piece and Festive Loaf.

Vaasa's Moilas Free From breads are gluten-free, wheat-free, dairy-free and high-fibre, without compromising on the delicious taste of the bread.

We add yeast to our breads to ensure everyday production and top quality. The rising time is short when the bread is baked 24 hours a day. Yeast enables the product to rise successfully. Yeasts are always formed in the fermentation process of the sourdough, so there are always yeasts in bread baked with sourdough, even if no yeast is added separately.

Oats are a challenging grain to bake. The more oat-rich the dough, the more moist and crumbly the bread becomes. The gluten in wheat gives the dough toughness, volume, texture and bakeability, which is why wheat flour or wheat gluten is often used in oat bread.

Yes, with the exception of Vaasan Piimälimppu, which contains buttermilk powder.