New central kitchen to be completed in 2027

Facts

• The new building will be divided into facilities for food production, the food terminal, logistics, building services engineering and support functions. The building will be about 20% smaller than the existing central kitchen, but its capacity will be more efficient thanks to modern and optimised processes.
• The estimated time of completion is summer 2027.
• The building will be placed next to the existing central kitchen, which will make the transfer of food production to the new facilities smoother and food service will be uninterrupted. When they are completed, the new facilities will produce a volume of food unprecedented in Finland.
• The building being planned will be energy-efficient as electricity consumption is expected to decrease by half. As for heating, it will make use of geothermal heating, solar power and heat from the food production. The new food preparation processes, modern equipment and optimised logistics will also reduce the building's carbon footprint.
• The maintenance costs of the new central kitchen are estimated to be 60–70% lower than those of the existing central kitchen.
• The estimated cost of the construction project is ca. EUR 41 million, excluding value-added tax.
• The plot and the building are owned by the City of Helsinki. The user of the premises will be Palvelukeskus Helsinki public enterprise.

Background

Municipalities in Finland produce or organise food services that largely affect the population on the basis of their statutory responsibilities (section 31 of the Basic Education Act, section 2b of the Early Childhood Education Act). Some obligations under the Finnish Local Government Act remain with the municipality, such as responsibility for organising statutory services, the authority responsibility and the supervision responsibility, even if the responsibility for the service production is transferred fully or partially outside the municipality. The responsibilities also include preparation for disruptions and crises.

The existing central kitchen of Palvelukeskus Helsinki prepares some 60,000 meals on weekdays and provides food service to about 400 service points in Helsinki, which include daycare centres, schools and senior centres. The central kitchen employs 60 people in total. The existing building has outdated facilities and technical building engineering, which is why its maintenance expenses have grown significantly.

The new central kitchen will continue to prepare meals for the City's statutory services, daycare centres, schools and other educational institutions and food services in the care sector. The aim is to ensure consistent quality and reliability for Helsinki food services and maintain the ability to provide food services even in the coming decades, with the growing population in mind.

A new food terminal is also being planned for the central kitchen. It will allow for foodstuffs to be purchased from food industry partners and combining them into the kitchen's own production and logistics chain. This will bring more flexibility when facing varying demand, and it is especially cost-effective for foods that are not feasible for the kitchen to prepare by itself.

Palvelukeskus Helsinki is using the services of Finnish food industry partners even today, and food provided by the piece, such as fish fingers or spinach pancakes, is already being procured from partners.

More information about the project

Media contact:

Piia Rissanen,
communications manager
Palvelukeskus Helsinki
Email: piia.rissanen@hel.fi(Link opens default mail program)