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Denmark reaches 1,000 organic kitchens

admin
February 23rd, 2015


This article is more than 9 years old.

65 percent found in the public sector

As of today there are 1,000 kitchens in Denmark that have been officially listed as being organic, according to the Ministry of Food and Agriculture.

The government's focus on getting kitchens in the public sector to embrace organic food means the majority of organic kitchens in Denmark are in the public sector.

”The government is working hard for more organic food in Denmark, and for me it is natural that the public sector is leading the way,” Dan Jørgensen, the food and agriculture minister, said.

”So the government's considerable efforts to have more organic eateries in the public sphere is an essential part of working towards a more organic Denmark in general.”

READ MORE: More organic food on Danish plates

Gold, silver and bronze
Since 2012, the number of official organic kitchens has increased sixfold from 138 to 1,000 and 65 percent of the 1,000 kitchens are found in the public sector.

In 2013 the Danish kitchens purchased organic products worth about one billion kroner – twice as much as compared to 2010.

Organic kitchens have since 2009 been able to receive one of three organic certificates of approval.

The bronze certificate means the kitchen is 30-60 percent organic, while the silver certificate means the kitchen is 60-90 percent organic. The gold certificate is only issued to kitchens that are more than 90 percent organic.

Since 2012, the government has supported the organic kitchens in the public sector with 28 million kroner per year, and a further 58 million kroner has been set aside looking ahead to 2018.


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A survey carried out by Megafon for TV2 has found that 71 percent of parents have handed over children to daycare in spite of them being sick.

Moreover, 21 percent of those surveyed admitted to medicating their kids with paracetamol, such as Panodil, before sending them to school.

The FOLA parents’ organisation is shocked by the findings.

“I think it is absolutely crazy. It simply cannot be that a child goes to school sick and plays with lots of other children. Then we are faced with the fact that they will infect the whole institution,” said FOLA chair Signe Nielsen.

Pill pushers
At the Børnehuset daycare institution in Silkeborg a meeting was called where parents were implored not to bring their sick children to school.

At Børnehuset there are fears that parents prefer to pack their kids off with a pill without informing teachers.

“We occasionally have children who that they have had a pill for breakfast,” said headteacher Susanne Bødker. “You might think that it is a Panodil more than a vitamin pill, if it is a child who has just been sick, for example.”

Parents sick and tired
Parents, when confronted, often cite pressure at work as a reason for not being able to stay at home with their children.

Many declare that they simply cannot take another day off, as they are afraid of being fired.

Allan Randrup Thomsen, a professor of virology at KU, has heavily criticised the parents’ actions, describing the current situation as a “vicious circle”.

“It promotes the spread of viruses, and it adds momentum to a cycle where parents are pressured by high levels of sick-leave. If they then choose to send the children to daycare while they are still recovering, they keep the epidemic going in daycares, and this in turn puts a greater burden on the parents.”