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DENMARK - A WORLD OF INGREDIENTS

Denmark serves you a taste of the future – as we develop the ingredients of tomorrow to meet the world’s growing demand for safe, healthy and sustainable food. We actually supply more food ingredients per citizen than any other country in the world.

 

​Take a look at these figures – and prepare to be impressed:

  • 75% of all yogurts in the world is made with cultures from Denmark.

  • 50% of all icecream in the world is made with Danish ingredients.

  • 25% of all bread is baked globally is made with Danish ingredients.

  • 0.07% is Denmark’s share of the total world population.

That says it all – Denmark is not just a nation of “hygge” but a global giant in ingredients.


Denmark supplies more food ingredients per citizen than any other country in the world. It takes innovative ingredients to meet world demand for safe, healthy and delicious foods. Danish companies have a 14% share of the global ingredient market – exporting as much as 98% of the ingredients they produce.

Learn Why CP Kelko chose Denmark

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The DNA of the Danish ingredients industry

Innovation through collaboration

  • Collaboration is deeply rooted in Danish business culture – especially in the ingredients industry – and the key is a cross-disciplinary approach with a flat hierarchy.
  • The Danish tradition of trust, collaboration and mutually beneficial partnerships across the Danish food cluster has built new knowledge and innovation power, which contributes to the international competitiveness of the industry.
  • According to the European Innovation Scoreboard, Denmark is an Innovation Leader. Within food, the Danish food cluster is among the most innovative in the world.

Healthy and Nutritious

  • The growing need for healthy and nutritious food products is top of mind for the Danish food ingredients industry – as it is for the consumers.
  • Danish ingredients companies invest heavily in research, development and new production methods to produce healthy alternatives to standard foods that do not fail on sensory quality – but taste, look and feel like the original products.
  • Reformulation is high on the agenda in Denmark and Danish ingredients companies work hard to deliver ingredients that can reduce the amount of e.g. added sugar in food products.

Natural

  • Natural and clean-label food, and in particular natural ingredients, is a major trend today. Not only within plant-based food products – consumers are in general increasingly demanding natural ingredients. 
  • The Danish tradition for healthy and organic high quality products has naturally extended into a strong focus on natural food and natural ingredients. 

Sustainability

  • Danish food and ingredients production is characterized by the ability to produce with minimal pollution, high resource efficiency and a small carbon footprint.
  • Denmark excels by being able to produce more with less - and saving money at the same time.
  • A cost-efficient production with a strong focus on turning waste streams into new high-value products is a trademark of the Danish food and ingredients industry. 

Valorisation of sidestreams

  • Danes are always looking for good business – and making cash from trash is an appealing idea. Especially since this is also sustainable.
  • Denmark is known for making the most of the world’s resources – and we are leading the way in resource efficiency and valorisation of sidestreams.

Local Sourcing

  • Identifying new and local sources for ingredients that can substitute ingredients produced and imported with great environmental and economic impact contributes to a more sustainable food production – and a better bottom line for ingredients companies.
  • Grass for dinner? Danish grasslands might be a useful protein source for human food and researchers from Danish universities work hard to make grass a suitable alternative to other protein sources.
  • Microalgea is the new super hero and several Danish projects between academia and the industry are exploiting how to grow algea on sidestreams from food production and extract protein from algae.

Take a bite of Denmark!

Come and join us for Innovation and R&D Facilities and Partnerships in the world’s most innovative ingredients cluster:

  • Join the Danish food cluster and you will – through collaboration with all stakeholders in the cluster – be part of one of the world’s most innovative food clusters. 
  • You will benefit from the intensive knowledge and experience within food in the form of highly educated talent in a labour marked characterised by flexibility, high productivity and competitive salary levels in a European context.
  • True to the tradition of collaboration and partnerships, you will have easy access to companies, start-ups and academia and gain access to an efficient and agile system that delivers the solutions of tomorrow.
 

get free knowledge Take a deep dive into the Danish food ingredient industry

Did you know that Denmark is one of the leading hubs for food innovation in the world? By investing in Denmark, your business could get access to a world-class ecosystem that has a clear focus on developing ingredients and optimising the value chain, which will transform the global food system to provide safe and healthy food for the growing population while respecting nature’s resources. 

Meet key innovators at agro food park  

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We are all about sustainability

For five consecutive years, world-leading ingredients company Chr. Hansen from Denmark has been listed on The 100 most sustainable corporations of 2022 | Corporate Knights. In 2022 Chr. Hansen ranked no 2. - cementing its position in the world elite of sustainable companies.

webinar on-demand Watch now: Ingredients for Healthy Food

Watch our webinar on “Ingredients for Healthy Food” for a taste of the ingredients of tomorrow developed by Denmark to meet the world’s growing demand for safe, healthy and sustainable food. We serve you a delicious menu of information and selected industry cases. 

Food nation's ingredient whitepaper

Nourish yourself with more insightful information on the Danish world of ingredients in Food Nation Denmark’s White Paper on Ingredients that also includes a delicious menu of selected cases from the industry.

contact How can we help your company?

If you want to know more about the Danish food ingredients industry, please do not hesitate to reach our dedicated food ingredients advisors:
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