AJ Sharp shares her experience of being invited to join a UK delegation of food service experts on a visit to Copenhagen.
I arrived alone and relatively late on the Wednesday evening into Copenhagen airport and spotted Andrew Skinner who I recognised from judging at the Quality Food Awards. We made our way to passport control heard the man in front say, “I’m here to learn about your organic and plant-based food system,” and that was how I met Matthew Kirby and Bruce Issacs. We shared a cab to the incredibly beautiful-my-kind-of-colourful Guldsmeden Hotel.
With nothing on the agenda until the next morning and only 25 mins until everything closed for the night, I enjoyed an enormously reviving solo swim and sauna. And pondered the wisdom of agreeing to taste hospital food in another country.
The Guldsmeden is no ordinary hotel. Subtle messaging everywhere reveals its deep commitment to sustainability, from thoughtful eco-friendly touches, like refillable water bottles, sustainable bedding, communal drinks stations on each floor, and bemusing – but brilliant once you’ve figured them out – Orbital showers. The food was equally impressive, with the restaurant proudly holding the prestigious Gold Organic certification, ensuring that 90-100% of everything served is organic and responsibly sourced.
After a restful night and a truly memorable and delicious breakfast, we started the Tour at Food Nation. Where we came to learn how the Danish manage to feed three times its own population, and how the government has driven a serious organic food agenda.
Food Nation – Tinder for Food Organisations
Food Nation is a not-for-profit ‘tinder’ that connects international decision-makers from public and private sectors with Danish food and agriculture. Already we’re seeing a level of collaboration we aren’t really that used to seeing in the UK. The Food Nation “dating portal” also brings together the Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Industry, and Fisheries & Agriculture, alongside unions, industry bodies, and DAFC. Together, they collaborate to present Denmark’s approach to food production and sustainability to the world.
Initial discussions touched on the paradox between UPFs, plant-based, and organic, but is started to become clearer that what the Danes mean by plant-based is very different to what the Brits might think of as plant-based.
Danish DNA
Denmark’s success rests on collaboration, sustainability, and continuous improvement (they literally measure and report on everything!).
When asked what makes the Danish model work, the reply was because; “we have a good level of trust in our government” (there were a few snorts from the UK delegation after this comment). It seems that regardless of political persuasions the Danish system creates subject specific working parties which seem to work as a sort of cross party or apolitical working group, which sits outside of the rhythm of usual 4-year terms. This nurtures better collaboration and leads to the commitment to long term change and improvement. So sensible!
By pooling resources and setting common targets, Denmark develops long-term solutions for challenges like health and climate, particularly in organics and plant-based innovation.
Everyone takes a shared responsibility for public wellness and healthy eating.
Organic Food Service
Next up we hear from Anders Nicolajsen, the Head of Gastronomy and Food Service, who would not look (or sound) out of place on an Australian surfer beach. He explains that Denmark currently holds the world record in organic consumption, with steady growth in demand and a clear consumer preference for eating out. And who wouldn’t when there’s such a great certification scheme.
Denmark operates a rigorous three-tier certification system: gold (90–100% organic), silver (60–90%), and bronze (30–60%). Certification is based on either sales or weight of ingredients, with strict government oversight that checks menus and hygiene standards to prevent fraud. Wild-caught fish remain difficult to certify, and imported products like French wine can reduce a kitchen’s overall score. Still, the system ensures a high consumer trust. Something that organic never really has attained in the UK.
Disrupting Appetite: The Ozempic Effect
You can’t get far into any food conference these days without someone bringing up GLP-1 or AOM (Anti-Obesisty Medication). And it turns out that it originated in Denmark, Novo Nordisk, a Danish company produces Ozempic the brand name for the GLP-1 which is disrupting eating habits across Denmark, the US and increasingly the UK.
The diabetes drug supresses appetite and it’s leading to dramatically changing eating habits. The use of the drug is on the increase, at a recent food trade conference I was at Henry Dimbleby said he thought he believed we would see a major increase in users in the UK, which will follow the trends in both Denmark and the US. And Heston just launched a menu with smaller portions at The Fat Duck specifically for people on the drug.
For the food service sector (HoReCa), this means demand for smaller portions, especially reduced protein with more vegetables, and greater focus on nutrition and fibre. Traditional “volume-based” models, from buffets and upselling extras to Michelin-starred multi-course tasting menus, are all being challenged equally.
Next we were back on the bus and taken to Meyers Madhaus.
Meyers Madhus (“madhus” means food house)
We were greeted by a chap called Bo Frederickson, who introduced himself as the Food Janitor (he wasn’t – we’ll come back to him!)
Meyer’s Madhus is a cooking school and catering supplier (somewhat like Sodexo, but also very not like Sodexo). The company serves canteens, restaurants, catering, retail and foodservice outlets, bakeries, nursing homes and schools.
Claus Meyers is the founder Noma, which was voted ‘The Best Restaurant in the World” five times and held 3 Michelin stars at one point. Whilst I must have read his name many times before, I hadn’t properly retained his significance before this trip. But it’s been very significant to the Danish food system. In my head, he’s a blend of Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall for his commitment to sustainability, Heston Blumenthal for visionary, boundary-pushing food, and Jamie Oliver for his activism and drive to change the way we eat.
Today the company offers cookery courses to over 1,000 public kitchens, have trained over 1,700 chefs, as well as providing recipes, counselling and training, run food education programmes for school children, and even producing cookbooks and food courses for private companies.
Six years ago, they launched a dedicated environmental strategy, embedding sustainability at the heart of their operations. Meyers Madhus’ strategy centres on climate, biodiversity, organic produce, animal welfare, a strong sense of place, and the idea of a “longer table.” This was part of getting ordinary people to eat better more nutritious food. They even pulled in the most popular football team to help tell this story. Imagine the effect this could have in the UK if we got our footballers to talk about nutrition and plant rich foods….
Making Procurement Sexy!
Then we met Bettina who is a lawyer, turned food procurement director, who clearly loves her job! She oversees the procurement for the catering contracts that serve children, the elderly, nursing homes, and vulnerable citizens. Every day, 115,000 meals are prepared across more than 1,000 kitchens by 1,700 kitchen workers. Wherever possible, food is cooked on site so citizens can see, smell, and interact with the staff. Her guiding principle is simple: serve dishes that people actually want to eat.
Bettina explained to us about Copenhagen’s food strategy, Our Approach to Food, is supported by dietary guidelines (more whole grains, less dairy and sugar) and an Action Plan for Plant-Based and Organic Food. Their ambitious target is 90% organic served within 15 years – they’re already at 87%. Importantly, this transition didn’t require a bigger budget.
There are arguments for more food education, for example in kindergarten children will be exposed to 5 different types of apple and understand how they vary in taste, texture and cooking requirements. Older children all grow potatoes, whether it’s planted in a garden at home, or in a bucket on a balconies, there’s increased understanding and connection to the process.
“It’s not hard to make meat taste good, you just cook it, add salt and away you go. It’s easy!” Said Bo Frederickson, the Head Chef of Meyers Madhus.
Bo argued that while most people eat meat because it’s easy, tastes great and already bursting with umami, a cook needs to do very little to it, and it tastes great. But for plant rich dishes to taste great, they need umami, which Bo argues comes from fermentation and a skilled chef. He explained that fermentation, the magic behind coffee, chocolate, and miso, is key to unlocking flavour, and developing complexity.
“We talk about plant rich food, not plant based food. We aren’t trying to make everyone give up meat or fish, we’re encouraging people to eat less but eat better quality organic meat or fish and make sure that 90% of the plant is filled with plants.”
Achieving this requires political support for start-ups, taxation on poor-quality meat, fair pricing, and prioritising clean labels.
“We can get people to eat less meat, or stop altogether perhaps. No believed we could stop smoking by banning it in public places, back in 2007 but look at the effect of that now.”
Would you like to try some hospital food?
In the UK, hospital food is something to be endured or survived – whilst also trying to recover from whatever unfortunate thing that landed you in a hospital in the first place. However, in Denmark the food you’re served in hospital is designed to ensure that you recover faster and ultimately are able to move back home and free up a bed for someone with a more urgent condition.
Michael Allerup Nielsen, Head of Food and Diets at Bispebjerg Hospital, explains that their focus is firmly on nutrition: “We try to get the patients healthy with food” (this is not necessarily something that comes across in UK hospitals!) Conversely, their approach is holistic, considering not just what is eaten but also how it is served.
They employ 35 on sites chefs and 4 dieticians! Meals are presented by hosts, staff who are smartly dressed and take pride in serving food. Their sole role is to plate and deliver meals, then record what is left uneaten. This creates accurate data on patients’ actual intake and ensures that everyone receives at least 10g of protein per 100g of food. The system is supported by a digital menu card system for ordering and recording intake, which tracks nutritional intake meal by meal, providing valuable data to the medical team.
This model improves patient outcomes while also being cost-effective, employing dedicated hosts is cheaper than involving nursing staff in food service. It also enhances dignity and creates a more enjoyable restaurant-like experience for patients.
Incredible plant based food at Bistro Lupa for supper.
Day Two
Teaching Waste-Free Gastronomy
At the Culinary School’s Green Lab, trainee chefs are taught how to rethink waste by developing new recipes and techniques that make use of ingredients typically discarded. Their philosophy: “We never run out of stuff people used to throw out.”
Christian Fentz and Martin Petersen explained that food should not be viewed just as taste, but as an experience, its look, aroma, and the memories it pulls up into your mind. Students learn classical craft from great chefs, then adapt it to green gastronomy, experimenting with seaweeds, vegetable scraps, and more. Instead of discarding 10% of a carrot or kilos of lemon peel, they have to ask: “How can we make it delicious?”
The results are striking. Lemon skins are pressure-cooked to remove bitterness, then turned into a sweet citrus marzipan to use in sponge cakes, jams, or tonics. Vegetable scraps become broths, dried into powders, or smoked to create shelf-stable flavour boosters for curries and Bolognese. Lacto-fermentation adds further depth. Every process is planned so that nothing is wasted.
Students are challenged to weigh creativity against commercial reality, labour, time, and cost. The goal is not necessarily to save every peel, but to design clever, practical mise en place where waste is transformed into value. True gastronomy, they argue, lies in turning every part of the produce into something better.
Looking Ahead
What struck me most on this trip was the sense of ownership and accountability built into the food system. It raises the question: how can the UK transform how we value food.
The quiet but powerful culture of continuous improvement, perhaps so ingrained that Danes do it so naturally. Annual sustainability reports cover all aspects of ESG, with clear, measurable goals around organics, local sourcing, and animal welfare. As several of them said, “the invoices never lie” meaning that certification is grounded in hard data, not claims, not green washing.
Finally, the shift in eating habits is striking; public canteens now serve 80–85% plant-based meals. I can’t imagine the general population in the UK shifting from a burger and fries culture to beautifully prepared salads and pulses with much speed. Whilst we have some great chefs and restaurants, the majority of mass-produced food is still pretty terrible.
For the UK, the lesson is clear, we need stronger measurement, greater accountability, and a bold cultural push if we want to reshape our food system in the same way.
