Organic plant-based product wins award for the 8th year in a row
Økologisk NuPeople often say about football that it is a sport that lasts 90 minutes, and in the end Germany wins. That is no longer entirely true, but a similar saying could probably aptly be applied to the Danish Vegetarian Association’s (DVF) selection of the “Plant-Based Product of the Year.” For the eighth year in a row, Naturli’ won the category with its organic plant-based spread when the DVF held the Plant Food Festival in Aarhus last weekend. Henrik Lund, CEO of plant-based activities at Dragsbæk A/S, which owns Naturli’, was therefore once again able to accept flowers and a certificate on stage. He thanked people for their support of the hugely popular spread, which can now be found in most supermarkets across the country and in several chains abroad. He also announced that Naturli’ will be launching many new products over the coming year—and, with a twinkle in his eye, said he hoped that as many of them as possible would remain on the market. Earlier, he had smilingly referred to the criticism Naturli’ receives from the plant-based community on Facebook, because the producer regularly launches new plant-based products, only to discontinue some of them again. However, this is not necessarily the result of a lack of demand. The relatively new product “Pipfri filet,” for example, has been discontinued because the company that produced it for Naturli’ went bankrupt. “Pipfri filet” was also highly popular at the fair, where the remaining packages sold out at Naturli’s stand as early as Saturday. **Other winners** In the other categories, Glean won “New Plant-Based Product of the Year” for its træstammer, sold under the Irma brand in Coop’s stores. “Plant-Based Supermarket of the Year” went to Nemlig.com for the third year in a row, particularly because of its wide selection of vegan dairy alternatives and its focus on organic products. “Plant-Based Discount Supermarket of the Year” was awarded to Lidl, while “Biggest Improver” went to Brugsen, which was the only supermarket to improve its score since 2025, at a time when other chains have, according to the DVF’s survey, deprioritized plant-based products. “Best Value” went to Rema 1000. The survey that determined the awards showed a mixed market for plant-based products at present. Kenneth F. Hansen, DVF’s retail market consultant, explains this in a press release. “This year, our survey showed that two categories in particular are making progress. These are the selection of dairy alternatives and organic vegetables. Across the grocery chains, we have measured an increase in the range of plant-based drinks as well as vegan alternatives to, among other things, cheese, crème fraîche, and yogurt. Likewise, this year we are seeing slightly more varieties of organically grown vegetables for consumers to choose from.” For some other categories, the survey found stagnation or a decline in the selection. “This is a development we are aware of, and one that we are working to reverse in cooperation with the grocery chains,” he says.
People often say about football that it is a sport that lasts 90 minutes, and in the end Germany wins.
That is no longer entirely the case, but a similar bon mot could probably appropriately be used about the Danish Vegetarian Association's (DVF) award for 'Plant-Based Product of the Year'.
For the eighth year in a row, Naturli' won the category with its organic plant-based Smørbar, when DVF held the Plant Food Festival in Aarhus last weekend.
Henrik Lund, CEO of plant-based activities at Dragsbæk A/S, which owns Naturli', could therefore once again accept flowers and a certificate on stage, where he thanked people for their support of the ultra-popular spread, which can by now be found in most supermarkets around the country and in several chains abroad.
There he could reveal that many new products from Naturli' will be launched in the coming year – and with a twinkle in his eye he mentioned that he hoped as many of them as possible could remain on the market. Before that, he had smilingly referred to the criticism Naturli' faces from the plant-based community on Facebook, because the producer regularly launches new plant-based products, only for some of them to be discontinued again.
That is not necessarily the result of a lack of demand, however. The relatively new product 'Pipfri filet', for example, has been discontinued because the company that produced it for Naturli' has gone bankrupt. 'Pipfri filet' was also in high demand at the fair, where the remaining packages sold out at Naturli's stand as early as Saturday.
Other winners
In the other categories, Glean won 'Best New Plant-Based Product of the Year' for its træstammer, which are available under the Irma brand in Coop's stores.
'Plant-Based Supermarket of the Year' went to Nemlig.com for the third year in a row, particularly because of its large selection of vegan dairy alternatives and its focus on organic products.
'Plant-Based Discount Supermarket of the Year' was Lidl, and 'Most Improved' was Brugsen, which is the only supermarket to have improved its score since 2025, at a time when other chains, according to DVF's survey, have deprioritized plant-based products.
'Best Price' went to Rema 1000.
The survey that determined the awards showed a mixed market for plant-based products at present.
This is what Kenneth F. Hansen, DVF's market consultant for retail, says in a press release.
"This year, our survey has shown that two categories in particular are experiencing growth. These are the selection of dairy alternatives and organic vegetables. Across the grocery chains, we have therefore measured an increase in the range of plant-based drinks as well as vegan alternatives to, among other things, cheese, crème fraîche and yoghurt. Likewise, this year we see that there are slightly more different organically grown vegetables for consumers to choose from."
For some other categories, the survey found stagnation or a decline in the selection.
"This is a development we are aware of, and one that we are working to reverse in cooperation with the grocery chains," he says.