Eight municipalities will test a more plant-rich menu in their canteens. See here whether your municipality is one of them.
Økologisk NuAfter a thorough recruitment phase lasting six months, the Danish Organic Association can now name eight municipalities that are ready to invite more plant-based foods into municipal kitchens and canteens. This is happening through the project “From Town Hall to Citizens’ Plates: Green Organic Transition of Municipalities,” in which climate consultants in the eight municipalities have been appointed coordinators for a transition process that should ideally reach all the way to citizens’ dinner tables. This is explained by market consultant Josephine Kofod of the Danish Organic Association, who is leading the project, which is supported by the Fund for Plant-Based Foods. The ambition behind the project is to reach as broadly as possible, and the project manager is therefore pleased that it has been possible to recruit municipalities geographically spread throughout the country: three on Zealand, one on Funen and four in Jutland. “These are primarily municipalities that have not yet come very far with the green transition, and they are precisely the ones we want to reach. There is a very good opportunity to move these municipalities forward and encourage them to adopt their own food and meal policies, which is one of the project’s more long-term main objectives,” says Josephine Kofod. At the same time, she believes the project has exciting potential for engaging local citizens and associations in the transition, which is based on the philosophy: “When the town hall takes the lead, the citizens follow.” ## A push in a greener direction One of the municipalities participating in the project is Høje-Taastrup, where climate consultant Julie Kirk Elbrønd has been appointed coordinator. She explains that most of the municipality’s day-care institutions already hold the Bronze Organic Dining Label, meaning that the municipality is already on its way. In 2025, the Town Hall canteen, a nursing home, three kindergartens and the municipality’s cultural cafés also chose to participate in a voluntary transition programme with Meyers Madhus. As part of this, kitchen staff at the day-care institutions were offered various one-day courses. Overall, Julie Kirk Elbrønd says, these initiatives have shown that targeted efforts can move municipal kitchens in a greener and more sustainable direction. She hopes this will encourage politicians in Høje-Taastrup to raise their ambitions and set specific targets for the transition to organic food. “Apart from the day-care institutions, where there is a requirement for 50 per cent organic food, food, organic produce and plant-based diets have not been a high-priority area of focus—other areas have been considered more important. The desire for a greener diet in the municipality has therefore largely been based on individual voluntary initiatives by employees who find the subject interesting. Consequently, no target has been adopted for how high the percentage of organic food should be in the municipality’s canteens and cafés,” says Julie Kirk Elbrønd. At the same time, she admits that she does not have the authority to put a figure on the municipality’s organic-food target. That is a task for the politicians. ## Accustomed to potatoes, gravy and meat A memo from a municipal council meeting in September states that organic ingredients accounted for 46 per cent of the municipality’s total food purchases in 2025, amounting to 675,000 kilograms. The municipality believes that the food sector has the potential to bring together citizens, institutions, businesses and associations and contribute to a greener and healthier municipality. “The project fits very well with our sustainability strategy, in which we want to mobilise citizens to take part in the green transition in a number of areas, including food and eating habits,” the municipality says, among other things, in its justification for participating in the new project. Personally, Julie Kirk Elbrønd is most excited about transforming the kitchen that prepares food for the municipality’s gardeners and road workers. “That canteen will be a really exciting challenge because it has served potatoes, gravy and meat for many years, so I am looking forward to seeing that transition.” ## We need to sow seeds among the right people For Josephine Kofod, it is important that the eight participating municipalities have already demonstrated that they are prepared to move towards a greener diet with more pulses and more organic food. “The idea behind the project is that we will transform the canteen used by the employees who help make decisions about the municipality’s food and meal solutions. In this way, they can experience for themselves what it is like to eat lunch in a canteen that has been transformed according to organic and green principles,” says Josephine Kofod. She hopes that, over the coming year, a greener diet will take such firm root in the eight municipalities that they can serve as ambassadors, inspiring other municipalities to follow the same path and ultimately reaching the private dinner tables of citizens as well. “We are giving the municipalities tools, good ideas and presentations so that they can continue pursuing the green agenda themselves. It is about sowing the right seeds among the right people, so that the transition spreads and continues after the project period ends in late 2027,” says Josephine Kofod. The next step in the project is for the eight municipalities to hold inspiration meetings, where interested citizens, local associations and others will be invited to learn about the project and how they themselves can help make the municipality greener and make more sustainable choices in their everyday lives.
After a thorough recruitment phase, which has lasted half a year, the Danish Organic Association can now name eight municipalities that are ready to invite more plants into municipal kitchens and canteens.
This is happening through the project "From Town Hall to Citizens' Plates: Green Organic Conversion of Municipalities", in which climate consultants in the eight municipalities have been appointed coordinators of a conversion process that should ideally end up all the way on citizens' dinner tables.
This is explained by market consultant Josephine Kofod from the Danish Organic Association, who heads the project, which is supported by the Plant-Based Food Foundation.
The ambition behind the project is to reach as widely as possible, and the project manager is therefore pleased that it has been possible to recruit municipalities geographically spread throughout the country, with three on Zealand, one on Funen and four in Jutland.
"These are primarily municipalities that have not yet come very far with the green conversion, and they are precisely the ones we would most like to reach. There is a really good opportunity to move these municipalities and push them towards adopting their own food and meal policies, which is one of the more long-term main objectives of the project," says Josephine Kofod.
At the same time, she believes that this offers exciting potential in terms of engaging local citizens and associations in the conversion project, which operates according to the philosophy: "When the town hall leads the way – the citizens follow."
A push in a greener direction
One of the municipalities participating in the project is Høje-Taastrup, where climate consultant Julie Kirk Elbrønd has been appointed coordinator. She explains that the majority of the municipality's day-care institutions already hold the Organic Cuisine Label in bronze, so the municipality is already on its way.
In 2025, the Town Hall canteen, a nursing home, three kindergartens and the municipality's cultural cafés also chose to participate in a voluntary conversion programme with Meyers Madhus.
In connection with this, the kitchen staff at the day-care institutions were offered various one-day courses, and overall, according to Julie Kirk Elbrønd, these initiatives have shown that targeted efforts can move municipal kitchens in a greener and more sustainable direction, and she hopes that this can persuade the politicians in Høje-Taastrup to raise their ambitions and set some specific targets for the organic conversion.
"Apart from the day-care institutions, where there is a requirement for 50 pct. organic food, food, organic produce and plant-based diets have not been a highly prioritised area of focus – other areas have been more important. The desire for a greener diet in the municipality has therefore been very much based on individual voluntary initiatives by employees who find it interesting. So no target has been adopted for how high the percentage of organic food should be in the municipality's canteens and cafés,” says Julie Kirk Elbrønd.
At the same time, however, she acknowledges that she does not have enough authority to put a figure on the municipality's organic target. That is a task for the politicians.
Accustomed to potatoes, gravy and meat
A memorandum from a town council meeting in September states that organic raw materials accounted for 46 pct. of the municipality's total food purchases of 675,000 kg in 2025. The municipality assesses that the food sector has the potential to bring together citizens, institutions, businesses and associations and contribute to a greener and healthier municipality.
"The project fits very well with our sustainability strategy, in which we want to mobilise citizens to take part in the green transition in a number of areas, including food and eating habits," reads part of the municipality's reasoning for participating in the new project.
Personally, Julie Kirk Elbrønd is most excited about the conversion of the kitchen that prepares food for the municipality's gardeners and road workers.
"That canteen will be a really exciting challenge, because it has been serving potatoes, gravy and meat for many years, so I am looking forward to seeing that conversion."
We need to sow seeds among the right people
For Josephine Kofod, it is important that the eight participating municipalities have already demonstrated that they are ready to move towards a greener diet with more legumes and more organic food.
"The idea behind the project is that we convert the canteen used by the employees who help make decisions about the municipality's food and meal solutions. In this way, they can experience for themselves what it is like to eat lunch in a canteen that has been converted according to organic and green principles," says Josephine Kofod.
She hopes that a greener diet will take such firm root in the eight municipalities over the coming year that they can act as ambassadors, inspiring other municipalities to follow the same path and ultimately reach all the way to private citizens' dinner tables as well.
"We are giving the municipalities some tools, some good ideas and presentations, so that they can carry the green agenda forward themselves. It is about sowing the right seeds among the right people, so that the conversion spreads and continues when the project period ends at the end of 2027," says Josephine Kofod.
The next step in the project is for the eight municipalities to hold inspiration meetings, where interested citizens and local associations, among others, will be invited to visit to hear about the project and how they themselves can help make the municipality greener and make more sustainable choices in everyday life.