One in three Danes: Fruits and vegetables are too expensive

There is a long way to go before the recommendation that all Danes should eat 600 grams of fruit and vegetables daily. According to a new survey conducted by Epinion for the Danish Veterinary and Food Administration, only five percent say they eat 600 grams of fruit and vegetables daily. Twenty-four percent say they do so "most days of the week," while as many as 63 percent say they do it "a few times a week" (32 percent) or "less often" (31 percent). Finally, eight percent say they never eat 600 grams of fruit and vegetables a day. The most common explanation is that they forget (39 percent). Next is the price: 30 percent believe it is too expensive, which corresponds to nearly one in three Danes. According to the Danish Veterinary and Food Administration, there is "significant potential" to get more Danes to follow the recommendation. Disagreement over VAT rate At the same time, there is still a political debate about how a lower food VAT should be structured—and whether the VAT rate should be reduced at all. At a parliamentary hearing this week, Minister of Taxation and Growth Jakob Engel-Schmidt (M) said that the government wants to lower the general food VAT and completely remove it on fruit and vegetables. According to calculations by the Ministry of Taxation and Growth, this would cost the state treasury 17.4 billion DKK annually. Limiting the removal of VAT to only fruit and vegetables would reduce the cost to 2.6 billion DKK per year. Additionally, it would cost the business sector 725 million DKK annually to handle the lower VAT on food. However, the Danish Industry responded in a comment that the 725 million DKK is set far too low, and that the total administrative costs are likely to be "significantly higher" than the ministry's estimate. Several economists have also criticized the government's plans, arguing that it is an expensive and inefficient way to lower prices. They warn that the potential savings could be eaten up by companies themselves and may not be reflected directly in prices. To make the administrative work as simple and inexpensive as possible while also ensuring a larger organic area in Denmark, the Organic Association has proposed that the VAT reduction be exclusively applied to organic products. The survey is based on 2,026 responses from a nationally representative sample of adult Danes collected between November 14 and November 27, 2025.