A keynote presentation titled “Partnerships for the Future―Scaling Plant-Based Food and Sustainable Agriculture” highlighted Denmark’s efforts to encourage plant-based food consumption in its populace. Protein sources were of particular interest. The country has launched the world’s first national plan to shift toward a plant-based diet, aiming to cut emissions, improve health, and boost exports. Instead of bans, it uses “nudging” strategies like subsidies, research funding, chef training, updated guidelines, and more plant-based meals in public institutions to gradually reshape food culture.
The presenters were Jeppe Juul Petersen, Consulate General of Denmark, and Kenneth Madsen, head of the department for trade, markets & geopolitics at Landbrug & Fødevarer (the Danish Agriculture & Food Council). They spoke at the 2025 Global Forum for Plant-Based & Alt Proteins Conference, held December 10-12, 2025, at the North Carolina Biotechnology Center in Research Triangle Park, Durham, NC.
The Green Tripartite Agreement
Denmark is investing heavily to reduce agriculture’s climate impact—livestock accounts for about 14.5% of global emissions—while positioning itself as a leader in plant-based foods. The 2024 Green Tripartite Agreement unites government, farmers, and environmental groups to transform farming and land use. A national plant-based action plan promotes dietary shifts through public procurement, funding, and innovation. Over 1 million plant-rich meals are served daily, and school initiatives have increased consumption. A €90.6M fund supports research and industry collaboration to cut emissions. Goals include restoring 15% of farmland, though challenges remain around farmer costs and global competitiveness, requiring new technologies and strong public-private partnerships.
Click the link here to read the complete article, “Denmark Is Nudging an Entire Population into Plant-Based Foods, posted February 11, 2025, on Food Processing magazine’s website.
An overview of the conference organizers is available at https://globalforumaltproteins.org. The website https://globalforumaltproteins.org/what-we-do/ provides links to a dozen webinar videos and information on the 2025 Global Forum Plant-Based & Alt Protein conference. At the bottom of the webpage, an embedded, 11-minute YouTube video offers the opening remarks of Global Forum for Plant-Based & Alt Protein founders Tawanda Muzhingi and Matt Tom. Audio from additional speakers can be heard, but without visuals.