The Plant-Based Food Grant

The Plant-Based Food Grant subsidizes the transition to a green economy for land use and food consumption in Denmark by supporting innovative projects.

We eat a lot more meat in Denmark today than we used to. Just a few generations ago Danes had a more plant-rich diet, and that’s what we need to go back to.

The key to achieving this change, is for the food sector to work on taste, nutrition and food quality to give us the drive to make new choices and, ultimately, form new habits.

Building a strong domestic market for plant-based foods will reduce the climate footprint of Danish people, but will also help Danish companies to achieve a stronger position in the export market.

We want the Danish plant-based food sector to be a global leader, but the sector has a long way to go as there are a number of areas that are still in the experimental phase.

The Plant-Based Food Grant can for instance be granted to businesses, organisations, and research and knowledge dissemination institutions. At least half of the Grant’s resources are intended for projects related to organic plant-based foods.

The Plant-Based Food Grant is led by a Board of Directors, that, based on nominations made by a number of organisations and associations, is appointed by the Danish Minister for Food, Agriculture and Fisheries. The Board of Directors is supported by a secretariat based in Landbrugsstyrelsen (the Danish Agricultural Agency).

The Plant-Based Food Grant’s Board of Directors has developed a strategy for the Grant, which identifies three strategic areas of development that will guide the Grant’s activities towards 2023. The strategic development areas are Stimulating Demand, Stimulating Supply, and Building Sectoral Bridges.

 

For each of the three overall strategic development areas, the Food Grant has set out specific action areas within which it aims to support project activities. The six action areas are shown below.

Action areas

The Plant-Based Food Grant will help to support greater demand for plant-based foods and to make Danish plant-based foods an attractive option in Denmark and abroad. The three specific action areas are:

1) Increasing the proportion of plant-based foods in public and private institutional kitchens and food services

2) Increasing the household consumption of plant-based foods among Danes

3) Increasing the demand for Danish plant-based foods in export markets

In its focus on stimulating supply, the Plant-Based Food Grant will contribute to the production of plant-based foods in Denmark that are attractive for both consumers and industry, both at home and abroad, with consideration for the environment and climate. The specific action areas are:

4) Increasing the quantity and quality of the plant-based products that appear on the market

5) Increasing the volume of Danish plant-based food production both on land and offshore

In its focus on building sectoral bridges, the Plant-Based Food Grant will help to develop a cohesive plant-based food sector with ever-increasing understanding, knowledge sharing and collaboration between the many different players in the value chain. The action area is described here:

6) Strengthening the entire value chain

Multi-year Strategy

Download multi-year Strategy