Stiftelsen Norsk Mat

What Stiftelsen Norsk Mat does

Stiftelsen Norsk Mat is an independent Norwegian foundation established in 1994 under the auspices of the Ministry of Agriculture and Food to promote diversity, quality, and value creation in Norwegian food production. It manages three certification trademark schemes — Nyt Norge (official Norwegian origin mark), Beskyttede Betegnelser (protected designations with EU PGI alignment), and Spesialitet (specialty quality mark) — alongside the KSL (Kvalitetssystem i landbruket) internal control system used by 99.9% of Norwegian farmers. The foundation also runs Lokalmat.no, the country's largest portal for local food and drink producers; the Inn på tunet farm approval scheme; and the Økologisk.no consumer information portal, while administering the annual Ingrid Espelid Hovigs matkulturpris.

The foundation's technology footprint is built around its audit and certification infrastructure: KSL combines farmer self-audits with 6,000+ annual external audits and a database covering virtually all Norwegian farms; the Søknadsportalen is a web-based application portal for managing Nyt Norge product submissions and label approvals; and Lokalmat.no serves as a B2B marketplace and quality documentation platform whose hygiene standards are recognized by Mattilsynet. No public APIs or SDKs are offered — interaction with the certification systems occurs through web portals.

Revenue is generated through two principal streams: (1) annual funding allocated through Norwegian agricultural negotiations to operate KSL and the trademark infrastructure, and (2) Nyt Norge brand user fees structured as 0.6% of branded product turnover in Norway plus a fixed fee, capped at NOK 1,200,000 per company per year, with an application fee of NOK 10,310 and minimum annual fee of NOK 10,310. Major licensee customers include Coop (largest user), Nortura, Tine, Norgesgruppen, and Bama, with the foundation's 18 staff split across a Quality Department and a Communication, Market and Administration Department.

Name

Stiftelsen Norsk Mat

Legal name

Stiftelsen Norsk Mat

Website

https://stiftelsennorskmat.no

Company type

Private

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Stiftelsen Norsk Mat is an independent Norwegian foundation managing the Nyt Norge origin mark, Beskyttede Betegnelser, Spesialitet certification, and the KSL farmer quality system serving Norwegian food producers, retailers, and consumers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Food Certification Services

SIC

Agricultural Services (700)

akta.pro primary industry

Quality Documentation & Digital QMS (SOPs, CAPA, Change Control, Recordkeeping) (AFALALAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Food Safety & Quality Scheme Certifications (GFSI Programs) (AFALAMAI), Supplier Approval, Verification & Food Safety Risk Management (GFSI-aligned) (AFALADAH)

Keywords

• Food certification services
• Origin labeling programs
• Agricultural quality assurance
• Protected designation management
• Local food marketplace

Headquarters

HQ city

Oslo

HQ country

Norway

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Government/Industry Funding: Foundation receives annual funding from agricultural negotiation parties (avtalepartene i jordbruksforhandlingene) to operate KSL internal control system and manage certification trademarks.
2. Brand User Fees: Annual fees from brand users of Nyt Norge, Spesialitet, and Beskyttede Betegnelser. Calculated as percentage of branded product turnover with minimum and maximum caps.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Stiftelsen Norsk Mat is a Norwegian food foundation established by the Ministry of Agriculture and Food that manages national food certification schemes (Nyt Norge, Beskyttede Betegnelser, Spesialitet), operates the KSL quality assurance system, and runs digital portals such as Lokalmat.no and Økologisk.no to promote Norwegian food products, including local and specialty foods.

Product overview

Stiftelsen Norsk Mat operates a portfolio of interconnected certification trademarks and digital platforms serving Norwegian food production. The core offerings are Nyt Norge (origin mark), KSL (agricultural quality system), Beskyttede Betegnelser (protected designations), and Spesialitet (specialty quality mark). These are underpinned by KSL's audit infrastructure. The Lokalmat.no portal complements the trademark system by connecting certified local producers to buyers. Additional offerings include the Inn på tunet farm approval scheme, the økologisk.no consumer information portal, and the annual Ingrid Espelid Hovigs Matkulturpris award.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Nyt Norge: Official Norwegian origin certification trademark for food, beverages, flowers, and plants. Makes it easy for consumers to choose Norwegian products.
• Beskyttede betegnelser
• Spesialitet
• KSL (Kvalitetssystem i landbruket)
• Lokalmat.no

Products and services

• Nyt Norge (Enjoy Norway) Certification National Norwegian certification trademark for food origin and quality, available to Norwegian food producers, processors, and retailers seeking to mark products as Norwegian-origin.

Quantifiable outcome

• 33% market share in covered grocery categories
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• MattilsynetcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2026Norwegian Food Safety Authority recognized four standards in Lokalmat.no as meeting the requirements for national guidelines for good hygiene practice. Recognition strengthens Lokalmat.no's role as the industry's common tool for quality assurance, documentation, and market access.
• Norsk Nærings- og Nytelsesmiddelarbeiderforbund (NNN)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 December 2025Renewed cooperation agreement signed at Filetfabrikken in Nittedal. Agreement commits parties to promoting Norwegian food production and its importance for value creation and jobs throughout the country. Joint campaigns and activities will increase awareness of consumer benefits of choosing Norwegian-produced food.
• HANENcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 September 2025Collaborative partnership for Matstreif - the largest food and drink festival in Oslo held September 19-20. Partnership includes HANEN, Bondens marked, and Stiftelsen Norsk Mat working together to showcase Norwegian food products.
• Bondens markedcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 September 2025Collaboration for Matstreif food festival in Oslo, promoting Norwegian local food and drink directly to consumers.
• Opplysningskontoret for frukt og grøntmajorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 September 2025Grøntløftet campaign collaboration to increase consumption and share of Norwegian fruits and vegetables. Includes entire Norwegian produce industry and grocery retail.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• DNV: DNV is a global assurance and certification company with established food-scheme and supply-chain certification offerings. Comparable as a broad incumbent providing the kind of third-party verification work that KSL's audit corps delivers, although at a vastly larger international scale.
• SGS: SGS is one of the world's largest inspection, verification, testing, and certification companies, with a substantial food and agriculture practice. Comparable to Norsk Mat as a third-party certification provider, though SGS operates globally and across sectors rather than focusing on Norwegian-origin branding.
• Bureau Veritas: Bureau Veritas is a global leader in testing, inspection, and certification across food, agriculture, and consumer products. It is a broad incumbent peer offering food-scheme certifications that overlap with KSL's audit and verification mandate, though its scale and global footprint far exceed Norsk Mat's domestic scope.
• Eurofins Scientific: Eurofins is a global laboratory testing and certification group with deep food-safety and authenticity testing capabilities used by retailers and producers across Europe. Comparable in the certification and verification services it offers food producers, though Eurofins is laboratory-driven while Norsk Mat is branding-and-mark-driven.

Regional players

• Label Rouge: Label Rouge is France's premium quality certification mark for superior-label food products, governed under French ministry oversight. It is conceptually comparable to Norsk Mat's Spesialitet mark (high-quality specialty designation) and demonstrates the trajectory of national quality-label programs achieving scale and consumer recognition.
• Red Tractor Assurance: Red Tractor is the UK's largest food assurance scheme covering farms and supply chains with a recognizable consumer-facing mark. It mirrors the Nyt Norge + KSL combination (quality system underpinning a consumer origin mark) and provides a benchmark for national-scheme scale and adoption.
• KRAV: KRAV is Sweden's leading sustainability and organic certification mark, with the same multi-scheme approach (organic, origin, quality) used by Stiftelsen Norsk Mat. It is highly comparable as a Nordic origin/quality certification scheme operating in a neighboring market with similar regulatory and consumer dynamics.
• QS Qualität und Sicherheit: QS is Germany's leading cross-stage quality assurance system for fresh food, covering farmers, producers, and retailers with a standardized scheme. It is comparable to KSL as a multi-tier quality backbone for a national food industry and offers a benchmark for how a non-brand assurance scheme monetizes participation.

Others

• GLOBALG.A.P. GLOBALG.A.P. is the global standard for good agricultural practices, covering farm-level certification across 130+ countries. It functions as international infrastructure parallel to KSL and is comparable as a sectoral standard-setter, though it does not carry the consumer-facing brand awareness that Nyt Norge achieves domestically.

Direct peers

• DEBIO: DEBIO is Norway's organic certification body, also operating as a nonprofit foundation with government backing and an organic-equivalent mark for Norwegian food producers. It is the most directly comparable peer given shared Norwegian geography, foundation structure, and certification-scheme business model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/NorskMat
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@nytnorge2024
• Facebookfacebook.com/stiftelsennorskmat
• Instagraminstagram.com/stiftelsennorskmat
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-norwegian-food-foundation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Stiftelsen Norsk Mat