Copenhagen’s Remarkable Journey

Transforming Food Systems and Inspiring Change

They might say, 'Of course, everyone in Copenhagen eats organic – their population is smaller, and they pay high taxes.' But what if I told you that Copenhagen's journey holds incredible lessons for transforming food systems?

During my recent expedition for the Food Trails project, I uncovered some astonishing insights:

• Pioneering Organic Conversion

  In 2009, Copenhagen embarked on a remarkable organic conversion project.

• Ambitious Targets

  Their audacious goal was to achieve 90% organic procurement in the public sector by 2020, a target they nearly achieved.

• Culinary Enlightenment

  Early on, the city invested in culinary training for public sector food producers, igniting a culinary revolution.

• Investing in Education

  Today, they allocate a staggering £1.2 million to educate staff responsible for food in schools, care homes, and various care settings. They also support them in auditing and elevating their menus.

• Revolutionary Dietary Guidelines

  Denmark introduced ground breaking national dietary guidelines in 2019, focused on sustainable and healthy eating, echoing the Eat-Lancet Planetary Health Diet. Copenhagen's food strategy wholeheartedly embraces these innovative guidelines.

• Nutritional Mastery

  The Food Team, operating within the economic department, commissioned over 700 nutritionally analysed recipes, designed for diverse populations across various settings.

• Youth Empowerment

  Even children are actively engaged; they serve school meals at the primary level and prepare them at the secondary level.

• Sourdough Magic

  In their central school kitchen, bread is crafted using a 10-year-old sourdough starter. Traditional puddings are now a rarity and plant-based options dominate the menus.

• Inclusivity in Choices

  Copenhagen ensures organic meat is available, even with halal options.

While some might argue that Copenhagen's success is due to its size and resources, the real story lies in their journey. Engaging with those who pioneered and implemented city-wide food policies, I learned that their path to transformation was far from easy. It demanded audacious leadership, unwavering passion, sheer determination, razor-sharp focus, and an intricate understanding of complex systems, especially procurement processes.

Copenhagen's culinary landscape is still predominantly animal-based, but a profound desire to transition to a plant-based diet is evident. As a testament, a waiter in one restaurant quipped, 'There are two spices in Denmark: butter and cream.' The fat percentage in crème fraiche is meticulously specified on menus, and hipster cafes proudly serve brunch adorned with generous dollops of whipped white butter or cream. Notably, Denmark stands as the world's largest pork exporter.

The inception of the Nordic Manifesto, paralleled with their organic conversion agenda to combat water pesticides, is setting the stage for the food system transformation we all aspire to witness. The next decade promises to be exhilarating, as we eagerly await how these changes at the agricultural level in Europe will amplify this effort beyond Denmark’s borders.