Denmark: Award to recognize organics in public kitchens

Copenhagen’s mayor Frank Jensen has received the Økopris 2015 at the Copenhagen Food Fair. This was the second time that the prize, launched by Organic Denmark, has been awarded. It acknowledges the work of organic enthusiasts that have committed to spread organic meals in public kitchens. The mayor proudly accepted the award on behalf of the 1,750 employees that make sure that organics reach nurseries, kindergartens and nursing homes every day. He stressed that the high organic share was not achieved by boosting budgets, but by minimising food waste, serving less meat, cooking from scratch and using vegetables in season.

In Copenhagen, about 60,000 meals are made in public kitchens in Copenhagen each day. The share of organic ingredients in these meals is now at 80 percent. Per Kølster, president of Organic Denmark, explains that Copenhagen is well on its way towards the goal of achieving 90 percent organic ingredients in public meals this year – far ahead of the government’s goal to have an organic share of 60 percent in 2020.

The Copenhagen Food Fair is a popular annual event that attracted close to 70,000 visitors this year. This year’s edition of the fair took place from 22 to 24 February 2015. One day was dedicated to organics - the ØKOdag – due to the growing interest for organics also in the food service industry. In 2013, Danish professional kitchens bought organics worth about DKK1billion (about €134million), almost double as much as in 2010. More information is available from Organic Denmark.