As the first in the world, Raisio labelled total water consumption of its product, H2O LABEL ON ELOVENA OAT FLAKES


Raisio plc, Press release 15 April 2009                                         

As the first in the world, Raisio labelled total water consumption of its       
product                                                                         
H2O LABEL ON ELOVENA OAT FLAKES                                                 

Raisio is the world's first food company to add an H2O label to product         
packaging, indicating the total water consumption of the product. The label was 
added to Elovena oat flakes, which only a year ago pioneered the CO2 label. In  
addition to climate matters, water consumption is one of the biggest global     
environmental challenges. Clean, drinkable water is becoming a scarce resource  
worldwide, and the lack of water will affect all of us directly or indirectly.  

The total water consumption of Elovena oat flakes is 101 litres per 100 grams of
the product. According to the Water Footprint Network, the total water          
consumption of, for example, one apple (100 g) is around 70 litres, while that  
of beef is some 1,600 litres per 100 grams of meat.                             

The Elovena H2O label indicates the product's water footprint throughout the    
production chain - from the field to the ready, packaged product. The footprint 
includes the water that the plant uses for growth, the water used in production,
as well as the resulting wastewater. Most of the consumption consists of the    
water that oats use during the growth period and get from rain water, as a part 
of the natural water cycle. Since the oat grown in Finland is not irrigated, it 
does not compete for clean, drinkable water.                                    

Raisio devised its own calculation model, since no internationally established  
formula and product labelling exist as yet. The calculations for primary        
production are based on evaporation data from the Finnish Meteorological        
Institute's weather observation stations, the water consumed in oat cultivation 
and the three-year averages for oat crops supplied by Raisio's contract farmers.
Oat flake production and packaging materials jointly account for well under one 
per cent of the overall water consumption. The production process does not      
generate any wastewater, since oat flakes are made by steaming.                 

Consumers are showing increasing interest in the impact that their consumption  
habits have on the climate change and the environment. Matti Rihko, Raisio's    
CEO, says the company hopes to receive feedback on the label and the calculation
method so that both can be further developed. “If consumers find that the label 
gives them the information they need for consumption choices, Raisio will add   
the label to other products as well.”                                           

Freshwater, that is, water suitable for drinking and cultivation, accounts for  
only around one per cent of the global water resources. Around 70 per cent of   
this is used for agriculture. The average water footprint of Finns is 4,700     
litres a day (1,727 m3 a year)*. Most of this is hidden water. As much as 41 per
cent of the volume is generated outside of Finland, meaning that it affects the 
water reserves of other nations. The UN estimates that two-thirds of the world's
population will suffer from lack of water in 2025.                              

*Source: Chapagain & Hoekstra 2004                                              

RAISIO PLC                                                                      

Heidi Hirvonen                                                                  
Communications Manager                                                          
tel. +358 50 567 3060                                                           

Further information:                                                            
Matti Rihko, CEO, tel. +358 400 830 727