Denmark: Municipalities receive funding for organic canteens

Organic Denmark has welcomed the fact that eight municipalities across Denmark have been granted a total of DKK31m (over €4m) from the government's organic promotion scheme to restructure public canteens to organic. (Picture: Danish child enjoying a jam sandwich)
 

“It is of course first and foremost positive that citizens will be able to get more organic food in local canteens, but it is also exciting to be involved in promoting organic production and see what opportunities it can provide to the organic farmers in the municipality”, says Erik Buhl Nielsen, chairman of Social Affairs and the Health Committee in Varde. In addition to Varde, the money will be used for organic conversion in Aarhus, Bornholm, Hvidovre, Kolding, Haderslev, Egedal and Taastrup.

To convert public canteens to organic is part of the Danish Government's Organic Action Plan. This move aims contribute to a doubling of organic farmland by 2020. More municipalities have the opportunity to benefit in the next funding round, which has 15 August 2013 as a deadline. Copenhagen and other cities have shown that conversion to healthy and organic meals can be done within existing operating budgets by avoiding food waste, buy items in season, cook from scratch and by using more vegetables and less meat.
 

Organic Denmark