Denmark is the first country in the world to launch a plant-based food action plan

The government of Denmark has presented a plant-based food action plan to encourage more sustainable diets with actions across the supply chain.

• The plant-based food action plan launched by Denmark is unprecedented internationally.
• The government aims to increase the production and consumption of vegetables in the diet to reduce the country's climate footprint.
• The actions envisaged by the plan range from training canteen chefs to investments in research and development, including education in schools.

The government of Denmark launched the world's first action plan for plant foods.It is an official document that establishes the direction to be taken for amore sustainable nutrition rich in vegetables and legumes with the aim of reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

What is Denmark's Plant Food Action Plan?

The plan follows theAgreement on the green transition of Danish agriculture of 2021 and was presented on 12 October by the Minister of Food Jacob Jensen:“There is no doubt that a more plant-based diet, in line with official guidelines, helps reduce our climate footprint,” said the government representative.“We therefore need an action plan that shows how we can support the entire value chain of plant foods and thus contribute to the necessary transition.”

Drawn up with the participation of around thirty stakeholders, the action plan contains a series of initiatives to implement a green transformation throughout the entire supply chain, from the farmer to the consumer.The government's vision is that Danish production and consumption of plant-based foods inspire the rest of the world.On the one hand, we want to encourage sustainable nutrition in Denmark, on the other we aim to encourageexport of Danish crop production and to take a leading role in the sector.

Specifically, the plan identifies plant foods - understood as all foods obtained from plants, but also edible mushrooms And algae – as an area of ​​future growth, where new earning and work opportunities go hand in hand with respect for the environment, climate and health.It also provides an overview of concrete initiatives to implement the transition as funds and forms of subsidies, consultancy for startups, chef training courses in public and private kitchens, greater attention to plant-based diets in schools, proposals to increase exports of Danish plant-based foods and investments in research and development.

Plant-based foods, a growing market in Denmark

In Denmark, sales of plant-based alternatives to meat have increased tenfold since 2010, sales of plant-based drinks have quadrupled and sales of legumes they have almost doubled.A'analyses contained in the plan reveals that there is a growing demand for plant-based foods both in Denmark and abroad.According to a market projection from the University of Copenhagen, the protein-rich plant foods sector can expect growth including between 4 and 11 percent every year until 2030 in the Danish market, while fruit and vegetable production will increase steadily.