Best practices solve challenges and set new standards
Climate change, malnutrition and the uneven distribution of safe nutrition – the challenges to the global food supply are vast.
As the world population grows, the food industry has a key role to play in ensuring a reliable supply of safe, high-quality food in the future.
Collaborative innovation across Denmark is developing solutions.
Primary producers establish best practices that set new standards for traceability and quality assurance.
Manufacturers of specialised food processing technology take efficiency, quality and safety to new heights.
Ongoing research and development continue to build on strong Danish foundations – enabling the production of safe, high-quality food.
Supporting the UN Sustainable Development Goals
The SDGs are a guiding light for establishing best food production practices, prioritising research and development efforts and identifying innovation targets that will drive towards a sustainable future.
Across the Danish food cluster, companies, organisations and stakeholders aim to make an active contribution.
FACING UP TO THE GLOBAL FOOD CHALLENGE
THE RESPONSIBILITY TO ENSURE SAFE, HIGH-QUALITY FOOD FOR ALL
A culture for collaborative enterprise
Denmark leads the way with sustainable solutions for producing safe, high-quality food.
The root of this success is our culture for cooperative enterprise, which began with the farmer groups who founded cooperative dairies and slaughterhouses in the 1880s.
Today, those cooperatives have grown into multinational companies with a tradition for shared technological research and investment.
Field-to-fork innovation finds solutions to many challenges – generating new raw materials and technology, new ways to interact, and new ways to make use of data.
Photo: Kasper Fogh
Food Nation’s Stories by Denmark
Salmonella used to be a huge problem in Danish poultry production. Not anymore. Today, Denmark has salmonella-free status in the EU. Hear how in this episode of the Food Nation podcast.
Commitment through the value chain
The Danish food quality and safety mindset is evident across the value chain. Collaboration, self-regulation and voluntary agreements ensure:
• An effective national control system
• High food traceability
• Strong compliance with national and EU food regulations
• The outcome is a high level of trust in Danish products – at home and abroad
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Photo: Food Nation & Niels Hougaard
%
of Denmark’s total exported goods originate from the food sector
%
of Danish food exports are sold as high-value products
%
of Danish food companies have implemented an internationally recognised system for reducing food safety hazards
EVERYTHING STARTS WITH THE RAW MATERIAL
INVESTMENTS IN RAW MATERIAL QUALITY AND SAFETY ARE THE KEY TO CONSUMER TRUST
Inspiring confidence in Danish products
Keeping food fit and safe for human consumption is a major challenge. According to the UN Food and Agricultural Organization, one in ten people in the world fall ill after eating contaminated food, and 420,000 die each year.
Raw materials are the most important and expensive ingredient in food production.
In Denmark, farmers and food manufacturer collaborate to ensure raw material quality – inspiring international confidence in Danish food products.
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It pays to invest
Danish food regulations closely follow the legislation set out by the EU – and occasionally exceed it.
All legislation is prepared and implemented in dialogue with the authorities, food sector and research and innovation institutions – laying the groundwork for ambitious food safety and quality goals.
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SETTING THE STANDARDS FOR FOOD SAFETY CONTROL
BEST PRACTICES AT HOME LAY THE FOUNDATIONS FOR TRUSTED EXPORTS
High standards of animal health and food safety have opened the door to many export markets
More than 30 years have passed since the last outbreak of foot & mouth disease in Denmark – a record symptomatic of the high standard of animal health and food safety control.
Food producers’ own control systems are a major reason for this achievement.
The own control system requires companies to implement transparent control systems that document the safety and hygiene of their food production and their compliance with legislation.
+
countries around the world accept Danish food exports
QUALITY AND SAFETY ASSURANCE FROM FARM TO FORK
CROSS-DISCIPLINARY COLLABORATION MONITORS MICROORGANISMS AND CHEMICALS IN FOOD
A strong record for identifying and eliminating food safety risks
Even the most careful raw material selection cannot eliminate all microbiological and chemical hazards.
Denmark has a strong record for identifying risks from pathogenic and chemical sources and initiating effective quality assurance strategies from farm to fork.
Take our Salmonella control programme for example – the outcome of a coordinated voluntary effort to stamp out Salmonella infections from chickens and eggs.
In 1898, Denmark was the first country to introduce compulsory pasteurisation of milk – the start of a long tradition for eliminating food-borne risks to consumer health
TECHNOLOGY SUPPORTING HIGH QUALITY AND HYGIENIC PRODUCTION
EFFICIENT PROCESSING AND HIGH-QUALITY FOOD ARE THE HALLMARKS OF DANISH FOOD PRODUCTION
Necessity is the mother of invention
The impressive rise of the Danish food technology industry can be traced back to one fundamental driver – Denmark’s relatively high production costs.
Out of the need to stay competitive in the global market, a whole industry has grown. Specialised processing machinery, robots and data management systems support efficient and standardised food production.
The Danish food technology industry includes the innovative companies behind some of the most technologically advanced solutions in the world.
More than 80% of Danish processing equipment is exported to global markets
INNOVATION FOR A BETTER AND SAFER FOOD SUPPLY
RESEARCH AND INNOVATION DRIVE THE SOLUTIONS TO GLOBAL CHALLENGES
Converting challenges into opportunities
Continuing innovation by talented developers is essential to providing a reliable and accessible food supply for the world’s growing population.
International customers often experience that their Danish partners have an ambitious approach to development projects. Their goal is not to meet expectations – but to exceed them.
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Keep exploring the Danish strongholds
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Gastronomy
Danish gastronomy is world famous – backed by agriculture, food producers and government
Denmark’s reputation as a leading gastronomic destination has grown out of a culture for sustainability, cooperation and science, along with awareness of terroir and an organic mindset.
The ingredient sector is a one-stop shop for solving the challenges of the global feed and food industry
Danish ingredient companies enable feed and food producers to make better use of resources, improve access to nutrition and support the health and wellbeing of livestock and consumers.
Around the world, Denmark is a recognised leader for organic food production and knowhow
Organic food products in Denmark have a bigger share of the retail market than anywhere else in the world. Strong collaboration across the public and private sector is the foundation for growth.
Photo: Food Nation & Niels Hougaard
