The “Chinese Dream” of Danish Organic Food”

    In Denmark, approximately 7% of agricultural land is farmed organically (2013 data); 72% of the Danish population chooses to buy organic food. Danish organic food and beverages also hold the highest market share in the world (7.2%). Now, they want to realize their “Chinese Dream” of entering the Chinese market.
Farm owner:
Dreams of selling products in the Chinese market
On a vast stretch of farmland on the Danish island of Funen, Mike, the owner of Aglo Ecological Farm, and two workers are sowing rhubarb on freshly tilled soil. While inspecting the progress of the work, Mike introduces his agricultural products to visiting Chinese Ambassador to Denmark Liu Biwei.
This is the largest rhubarb plantation farm in Northern Europe. Unlike rhubarb in China, which is mainly used for medicinal purposes, the rhubarb grown here does not use the medicinal root but instead uses the plant stem, which is processed into beverages, jam, and various other foods. Encouraged by the good relations between Denmark and China in food trade, the farm is seeking to open up the Chinese market.
Mike said that at present the rhubarb products produced by the farm are mainly sold in Europe, and some cut rhubarb is also sold as raw material to countries such as Germany and Norway. “Being able to enter the Chinese market is a dream for me,” farm owner Mike said with a smile.
Andy, who runs a brewery, is somewhat luckier than Mike. Andy, an American, has lived on Funen for more than 20 years because he met his wife there. Not long ago, his brewery just received an order from Shanghai, China — this is Andy's first order from China.
“Although the quantity is not large, this is a good start. I hope Chinese friends will like Danish beer,” Andy said in the brewery as he introduced the freshly brewed and boxed beer to visiting Chinese Ambassador to Denmark Liu Biwei, Danish Minister for Food, Agriculture and Fisheries Dan Jørgensen, Deputy Mayor of Odense Stine Müller, and others. Two weeks later, these beers will be shipped to China.
Government officials:
Confident about organic food entering China
Odense is the third-largest city in Denmark and the hometown of Danish writer Hans Christian Andersen. To this day, traces of Andersen's life can be seen throughout the city, and friends from all over the world can see Andersen's fairy tales published in languages they are familiar with in the local museum.
Deputy Mayor of Odense Stine Müller has visited China twice. When mentioning Andersen, she can even pronounce Andersen's name in Chinese. “Chinese people all know Andersen and his fairy tales. We want to show the Chinese people that Odense not only has fairy tales, but also very high-quality products and many possible opportunities for cooperation with China,” Stine Müller told the Beijing News reporter. “Some local enterprises in our area have already begun cooperation with the Chinese side. The Chinese market is very large, and we have only realized a very small part of it.”
“Based on my experience, the Chinese market very much welcomes Danish organic food.” Danish Minister for Food, Agriculture and Fisheries Dan Jørgensen told the Beijing News reporter that he is very confident about Danish organic food entering the Chinese market.
In April this year, Dan Jørgensen accompanied Danish Queen Margrethe II on a visit to China. That was his first visit to China since taking office at the end of last year. At present, he is preparing to visit China again in November. Dan Jørgensen recalled that during his visit to China he was received by Chinese President Xi Jinping, who spoke highly of Denmark's food safety.
“President Xi specifically mentioned that Denmark has very high food safety standards, which made me feel very proud,” Dan Jørgensen said with a smile. When communicating with Chinese friends, apart from Andersen, what everyone discusses most is Denmark's food safety standards.
“Denmark is a small country. We hope to promote closer cooperation between the two countries,” Dan Jørgensen said. “We have a lot of experience in the field of food safety, and now in the field of organic food, Chinese consumers are very clear about their consumption goals. They need high-quality, safe, and natural food, and they are very focused on the freshness of vegetables. Although we grow them on the other side of the world, we can still ship them to China. We can provide many foods that Chinese consumers like.”
Outlook:
Huge potential for China-Denmark cooperation in the field of organic food
Jørgensen believes that the two countries will still have huge cooperation potential in the field of organic food in the future. At present, Denmark's per capita consumption of organic food ranks among the highest in Europe. In his view, the ingredients used in each meal in China and Denmark are similar, and both also emphasize freshness.
“For example, that rhubarb beverage, I think it cannot be found anywhere else in the world,” Jørgensen said. “Chinese consumers have demand for natural food. We are the country with the highest proportion of organic food use in the world. 8% of our food is organic. This also means that we have many producers who specialize in this.”
In Jørgensen's view, the current closeness of cooperation between Denmark and China in the food sector is unprecedented. In April this year, Denmark became the first country approved to export cooked pork products, including sausages, to China. In addition to the well-known Danish cookies, Danish pork, milk, milk powder, and other products are also gradually becoming popular in China.
“We are the first country in the world able to sell pork products in China. Whether sausages or any other cooked meat products, they must be high-quality food,” Jørgensen said. The two countries will still have huge cooperation potential in the field of organic food in the future. At present, Denmark's per capita consumption of organic food ranks among the highest in Europe.
Jørgensen said that the two sides will share knowledge in related fields of organic food. For example, we will build breeding pig housing for China. We have a lot of experience in this area and can take into account food safety, animal rights, and environmental protection. If we enter China, this will be a very good thing for both countries. I do not regard the relationship between China and Denmark merely as commercial cooperation, but more as a friendship and also a process of mutual sharing and benefit.
Denmark: You must first attend an agricultural college before you are qualified to farm
At the end of 2012, the annual Global Food Security Index report released by the British magazine The Economist pointed out that Denmark ranks among the countries with the safest food in the world.
The report shows that Danish organic food does not use chemical fertilizers at all, nor does it spray pesticides, and pesticide spraying on other non-organic fruits and vegetables is also within strict regulatory limits. The Danish Ministry of Agriculture sends people regularly every year to conduct spot checks. If the use of pesticides or chemical fertilizers exceeds the standard, the farm owner will be deprived of the right to produce.
In Denmark, whether you are caring for livestock on a farm or plowing and cultivating fields, you must first receive three years of basic education at an agricultural college and about one year of internship, and only after passing the examination are you qualified to cultivate and manage a farm. At the same time, Denmark has established specialized ecological food schools to teach farmers how to grow ecological crops and so on.
The use of antibiotics in Denmark is also extremely strict. Neither private doctors nor veterinarians have the right to sell medicines; they can only prescribe prescription drugs, and people must use prescriptions to buy medicines at pharmacies. If the relevant authorities discover that a veterinarian has prescribed antibiotics or other medicines exceeding the prescribed standard, the farmer and the veterinarian will face heavy fines, and the relevant authorities will immediately take remedial measures. This strict regulatory system effectively reduces the use of antibiotics and other medicines in the livestock industry.
In addition, Denmark has fresh air, clean groundwater that can be drunk directly, clean lakes and rivers, and uncontaminated soil. It also has no heavy industry, polluting chemical industry, or mining. These have laid a good foundation for the development of Denmark's organic food.文章源自FOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/am/11504/