More organic foods are making their way into the country's professional kitchens.
Økologisk NuDo we have some bottles with bubbles? A nine percent growth in organic foodservice. That must be celebrated! I might have expected a growth of about five percent, which roughly corresponds to the price increases on organic raw materials," says Torben Blok, Market Manager for Foodservice at the Organic Association, as he drops by the editorial office of Organic Now this morning. He had expected a more flat development and finds it difficult to hide his immediate enthusiasm for the figures for foodservice sales in 2025, which Statistics Denmark published at 8:00 a.m. The figures show that organic continues its recent growth trajectory. In terms of value, sales increased from 3.6 billion DKK in 2024 to 3.9 billion DKK in 2025. The growth of about 300 million DKK means that the total organic sales to foodservice grew from a share of 14.2% in 2024 to 14.6% in 2025. "It is encouraging that organic sales to foodservice are increasing. Because that is what we work with every day. For us, it is crucial that organic is placed centrally on the plate. It benefits farmers, who can sell their products more, professional kitchens, which gain both value and job satisfaction, and consumers' health," says Torben Blok, who is Market Manager for Foodservice at the Organic Association. The new figures show that organic still has a strong presence in the categories "dairy products and eggs" and "fruit and vegetables." Here, the organic share of the total market is 35% and 24%, respectively. However, this does not make the Organic Association lean back. "We are far from satisfied and will maintain pressure in the coming years to not only get more organic dairy, eggs, fruit, and vegetables in. We also need to involve more in other categories. For us, it’s about getting more healthy and green foods on the plate. We are working concretely on kitchen restructuring in municipalities, promoting more organic products in vocational education, and increasing the number of Organic Dining Labels in cafes, restaurants, and hotels. All of this is aimed at boosting organic," says Torben Blok in a press release from the Organic Association. Another step forward Mona Carøe, chairperson of the Organic Association’s Kitchen Committee and head chef at Randers Regional Hospital, agrees. She states that much more needs to happen in the coming years. She also addresses the association’s political goals. "We fully believe in the central placement of organic in professional kitchens. We have seen increases in organic sales to foodservice in recent years, which is encouraging, but we want it to grow even more. For that to happen, the Organic Dining Label must have permanent funding, and there should be requirements for more organic products in public kitchens and employer-funded lunch schemes. The Kitchen Committee of the Organic Association wants to help advance this development and inspire even more to choose organic. We believe we have a responsibility to take care of drinking water, nature, the environment, and animal welfare through our purchasing," says Mona Carøe. Organic as a key driver Anders Nicolajsen, head of Foodservice and Gastronomy at Agriculture & Food, also welcomes the progress in organic. "Foodservice remains strong in organic, and the continued increase in sales of organic foods shows that kitchens continue to prioritize quality and high professionalism. It’s not always easy for chefs to stay on the organic track, but that’s precisely why their choice of organic raw materials is interesting. Organic plays into several of the values we know guests increasingly demand – from quality and ingredient awareness to responsibility and good stories on the plate," says Anders Nicolajsen in a press release. According to him, the sales development in 2025 shows that foodservice is an incredibly important driver in the green transition. "The trends that sprout and grow in foodservice eventually filter out into retail. Chefs take value creation seriously, and the high organic shares show that many restaurants, hotels, and cafes continue to hold on to good stories and focus on sustainability and quality – even though prices and economics are significant," he says. The share of organic among all goods was highest in public institutions at 33% in 2025, while the corresponding share was 21% in canteens at private workplaces. The lowest was in hotels and restaurants, with 10%.
"Do we have some bottles with bubbles? A growth of nine percent in organic foodservice. That must be celebrated! I might have expected a growth of about five percent, which roughly corresponds to the price increases on organic raw materials," says Torben Blok, Market Manager for foodservice at the Organic Association, when he drops by the editorial office of Organic Now this morning.
He had expected a more flat development and finds it difficult to hide his immediate enthusiasm for the figures for foodservice sales in 2025, which Statistics Denmark published at 08:00.
The figures show that organic continues its recent growth trajectory. In value, sales increased from DKK 3.6 billion in 2024 to DKK 3.9 billion in 2025. The growth of about DKK 300 million means that the total sales of organic products to foodservice grew from a share of 14.2 percent in 2024 to 14.6 percent in 2025.
"It is encouraging that organic sales to foodservice are increasing. Because that is what we work with every day. For us, it is absolutely crucial that organic is placed centrally on the plate. It benefits farmers, who can sell their products more, professional kitchens, which gain both value and job satisfaction from it, and consumers' health," says Torben Blok, who is Market Manager for foodservice at the Organic Association.
The new figures show that organic still has a strong foothold in the categories "dairy products and eggs" as well as "fruit and vegetables." Here, the organic share of the total market is 35 and 24 percent respectively. However, this does not make the Organic Association lean back now.
"We are far from satisfied and will continue to press in the coming years to not only get even more organic dairy, eggs, fruit, and vegetables in. We also need to get the other categories more involved. For us, it is about getting more healthy and green foods onto the plate. We are working concretely with kitchen restructuring in municipalities, for more organic products in vocational education, and for more Organic Dining Labels in cafes, restaurants, and hotels. All of this is to help boost organic," says Torben Blok in a press release from the Organic Association.
Another step forward
Mona Carøe, chairperson of the Organic Association's Kitchen Committee and head chef at the Regional Hospital in Randers, agrees. She states that much more needs to happen in the coming years. She also addresses the association's political wishes.
"We fully believe in the central placement of organic in professional kitchens. We have seen increases in organic sales to foodservice in recent years, and that is encouraging, but we want it to grow even more. For that to happen, the Organic Dining Label must have permanent funding, just as requirements for more organic products in public kitchens and employer-paid lunch schemes should be established. We at the Organic Association's Kitchen Committee want to help lift this development and inspire even more to choose organic. We believe we have a responsibility to take care of drinking water, nature, environment, and animal welfare through our procurement," says Mona Carøe.
Organic is an important driving force
Also, Anders Nicolajsen, Head of Foodservice and Gastronomy at Agriculture & Food, is pleased with the progress of organic products:
"Foodservice remains strong in organic, and the continued increase in sales of organic foods shows that kitchens continue to prioritize quality and high professionalism. It is not always easy for chefs to keep their focus on organic, but precisely for that reason, their choice of organic raw materials is interesting. Organic plays into several of the values that we know guests increasingly demand – from quality and raw material awareness to responsibility and good stories on the plate," says Anders Nicolajsen in a press release.
According to him, the sales development in 2025 shows that foodservice is an incredibly important driver in the green transition.
"The trends that sprout and grow in foodservice eventually filter into retail. Chefs take value creation seriously, and the high organic shares show that many restaurants, hotels, and cafes continue to hold on to good stories and focus on sustainability and quality – even though prices and economics are significant," he says.
The share of organic products was highest in public institutions with 33 percent in 2025, while the corresponding share was 21 percent in canteens at private workplaces. The lowest was in hotels and restaurants with 10 percent.