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Meat is central to the Danish diet.<\/p>\n
Beef and pork are dinner-time staples<\/a>, not least because Denmark is one of the world\u2019s largest pig meat exporters. Its local cuisine also relies on such foods\u2014think hot dogs, meatballs and stegt fl\u00e6sk, a crispy pork dish.<\/p>\n Despite its deep roots in meat, Denmark is now nudging its citizens to adopt a plant-based diet instead.\u00a0<\/p>\n Over the years, Danes\u2019 meat-heavy appetites have contributed to increasing the country\u2019s carbon emissions<\/a>. The average person in Denmark consumes nearly three times the recommended amount of red meat (that\u2019s only slightly less than the U.S.<\/a>), which has been found to use significantly more<\/a> land while releasing more greenhouse gases.\u00a0<\/p>\n So, to slash its carbon footprint and transform its agriculture, Denmark has adopted a slew of innovative measures geared towards a plant-based diet\u2014from government strategies to plant-based funds.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n The country tweaked its dietary guidelines to have less meat in a week and launched an Action Plan for Plant-Based Foods in October, aimed at increasing the production and consumption of plant-based (or vegan) diets. The Danish government offers a grant worth DKK 675<\/a> million ($97 million) in subsidies to bring innovative projects promoting a \u201cgreen economy\u201d to life.\u00a0<\/p>\n The government calls these strategies the \u201cfuture\u201d as they will eventually improve overall health and fight climate change.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cIt sends a signal to countries that are similarly deeply rooted in the meat tradition that it\u2019s possible to create dialogue and start initiatives for change. It\u2019s easy to copy-and-paste,\u201d Rune-Christoffer Dragsdahl, secretary general of the Vegetarian Society of Denmark, told Bloomberg in a report published<\/a> Thursday.\u00a0<\/p>\n Earlier this week, Denmark successfully implemented a carbon tax that\u2019ll charge farmers<\/a> for their cattle\u2019s emissions starting in 2030.\u00a0<\/p>\n The Scandinavian country is a pioneer in its own right for encouraging changes to deep-set consumer behaviors. Back in 2003, Denmark was the first country to ban foods with excess trans fat<\/a>, which has since become the norm across Europe.\u00a0<\/p>\n Still, few countries have trodden the path of promoting vegan or vegetarian diets\u2014and those that tried to tackle agricultural emissions, like The Netherlands<\/a>, have faced farmers\u2019 pushback.<\/p>\n It\u2019s a big ask for the nearly 6 million Danes to consider giving up their animal-based consumption. That also has implications for an economy that exports vast amounts of pork and dairy. But Denmark found creative ways to reach Danes so they wouldn\u2019t shun plant-based diets.\u00a0<\/p>\n The key is being subtle.\u00a0<\/p>\n The government\u2019s strategy is not to use \u201cvegetarian\u201d or \u201cvegan\u201d in its messaging, as meat-eaters can see this as polarizing.\u00a0<\/p>\n The business tourism group MeetDenmark receives funding to offer plant-based choices at events, so people are introduced to them subtly. Even caterers get in on the project by not displaying too much information on the labels, Bloomberg reported.\u00a0<\/p>\n Even the forces of education and hospitality are coming together to turn Denmark\u2019s plant-based vision into a reality. Starting next year, Copenhagen Hospitality College plans to offer a degree for \u201cgreen food artisans\u201d so people are taught to cook with meat alternatives.<\/p>\n Denmark is already sowing the seeds to cut its carbon footprint from agriculture, but it still has a lucrative meat industry and the food habits of millions of Danes to manage.<\/p>\n Danish Crown, Europe\u2019s largest pork producer, launched a meat-free offering with a relatively slow uptake. One of the country\u2019s Michelin-starred restaurants swapped to a plant-based menu, prompting angry emails about food that reflect people\u2019s reluctance to change their food patterns.\u00a0<\/p>\n A majority of participants had no plans to cut their meat intake, let alone adopt a meat-free diet, a 2019 survey of 1,000 Danes published on ScienceDirect<\/a> revealed.<\/p>\n But Denmark has already made strides compared to its peers, one nudge at a time, and could set a precedent for the rest of Europe as other countries look to curb emissions.<\/p>\n<\/div>\nMaking plant-based food appealing to Danes<\/h2>\n