According to Green Procurement for a Green Future, a new government procurement strategy announced on Thursday, all state-run kitchens will be required to serve only vegetarian food for two days a week.
“I hope it will go down well with our employees. This is the government's proposal, it is not something we have agreed with others. And of course that is also something we have to discuss with the other political parties,” Finance Minister Nicolai Wammen told state broadcaster DR.
“Put simply, this is one of the ways in which we can contribute to a smaller climate footprint – by having two days a week, where there is no meat on the menu in the state canteens. The other days you can have meat if you want.”
As well as the two vegetarian days, the government has limited the number of days when beef and lamb can be served to just one a week.
The new policy will apply to all the 85,000 people directly employed by the state, and may also apply to the 75,000 people employed in independent government agencies.
The proposal may later be extended to independent institutions such as the train company DSB, schools, kindergartens and universities.
After the announcement, Denmark's agriculture minister Mogens Jensen tweeted that with 800,000 meals served a day in public sector canteens, the decision could make a significant difference.
Med 800.000 daglige måltider i de offentlige køkkener er der et kæmpe potentiale ved at skrue op for det grønne og ned for kødet. Kosten er ét af de steder, hvor vi hver især kan gøre en stor forskel for klimaet #dkpol #dkgreen https://t.co/mWhpDn1X7h
— Mogens Jensen (@MogensJensenS) October 29, 2020
The proposal has split Denmark, with the populist Danish people's party going so far as to call it “totally un-Danish”, and others complaining that the measure would not apply to canteens in the Danish parliament and ministerial offices, and that the government had not calculated what the impact of the measures would be on public sector emissions.
“I'll eat whatever food's going, but I feel very irritated that someone wants to decide what kind of food that is,” said René Christensen, leader of the Danish parliament's environment and food committee. “It's totally un-Danish that others are going to decide what we eat for lunch.”
Morten Messerschmidt, the party's vice chairman said that the proposals would even inspire him to eat more meat.
“It's one thing for people to want to be vegans and vegetarians, and another thing to force people to,” he said. “I really think it's crazy.”
On the other side, Carl Valentin, green spokesman for the Socialist Left party celebrated the decision.
“It's simply so important to have two vegetarian days in state canteens,” he said. “To get our enormous meat use on the agenda has not been easy, but now we're moving.”
Simpelthen så vigtigt med to vegetariske dage i statens kantiner! ?? At få vores enorme kødforbrugs konsekvenser på dagsordenen har ikke været let – men nu rykker vi! Så vigtigt med politiske tiltag, så ansvaret ikke lægges over på den enkelte. #dkpol #dkgreen
— Carl Valentin (@Carl__Valentin) October 29, 2020
Sikandar Siddique, leader of the Free Greens, said that the proposal was too unambitious. It whouldn't only be in government canteens, but all public sector ones, including schools and kindergartens.
Rita Bundgaard, chairman of HK Stat, which represents 23,000 government employees, complained about the proposal.
“I cannot understand why we should be forced to have Tuesday and Thursday as green days, and then fish on Wednesdays. After all, I end up asking for a steak when I want to have a steak. I think I should have the opportunity to choose and combine what I put on my lunch plate, and I think everyone should be allowed to.”
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