We want to inspire you to eat more whole grains. The Whole Grain Partnership is a public–private partnership between the Danish Veterinary and Food Administration, the Danish Cancer Society, the Danish Heart Foundation, and the Danish Diabetes Association, as well as a number of food companies, retail chains, and trade associations. Together, we work to improve public health by encouraging Danes to eat more whole grains. The European Union, OECD, and most recently the UN have designated the Whole Grain Partnership as a best practice case.
The Danish Whole Grain Partnership consists of 29 partners, a board with representatives from various types of organizations involved in the collaboration, and a common secretariat with two full-time employees and a student assistant.
Each partner contributes with their strengths and competencies. Together, we can make a greater difference than individually.
The vision of The Danish Whole Grain Partnership is to promote public health by encouraging Danes to eat more whole grains. The mission of the Whole Grain Partnership is to increase the availability of whole grain products and spread awareness of the beneficial effects of whole grains. The targeted work of The Danish Whole Grain Partnership has already brought results:
“My task is to ensure enthusiasm in the partnership and work to make it easy for Danes to make a whole grain choice right where they are. I look forward every day to going to work to collaborate with our dedicated whole grain partners on this important mission.”
“It is incredibly motivating to work every day for a partnership that makes a difference and drives change. My most important task is to help create campaigns and activities that increase awareness of whole grains and encourage Danes to choose the whole grain logo when they shop.”
“The Whole Grain Partnership is a great success. In just 10 years, we have achieved that Danes eat over twice as much whole grain, our whole grain logo is now on more than 1000 products, and over half of the population buys according to it. This we have only been able to achieve in a strong partnership between NGOs, the public sector, and private companies.”
“The Whole Grain Partnership is an important collaboration that helps Danes follow the Danish Veterinary and Food Administration’s recommendation to eat 90g of whole grains daily. This benefits both our health and the climate, as grain products have a low environmental impact.”
“In 2023, 18 of our Kohberg bread and rolls are marked with the Whole Grain logo, and every time we introduce new bread and rolls, we consider whether the bread can advantageously contain a higher proportion of whole grains and thus be marked with the Whole Grain logo.”
“As a major retail company, Coop is proud to support the Whole Grain Partnership and pleased with the results of a well-functioning, well-managed, and results-oriented collaboration. It has had great significance for the health of Danes and for our ability to sell increasing amounts of whole grain products to our customers. It is a pleasure to work across the entire value chain in a partnership that includes producers, NGOs, and authorities. We look forward to continued cooperation and new initiatives that will keep Denmark at the very forefront when it comes to whole grain intake. Whole grain has become a must both on our shelves and for Danish consumers, and that is largely thanks to the partnership.”
“The Whole Grain Partnership is paving the way for how committed collaboration can lead to major changes in the food industry. Through long-term and professional efforts, it has successfully shifted Danes towards a much higher intake of whole grains in their diet. With the clear, research-based benefits of whole grains – and their deep-rooted place in our food culture – I believe the partnership can reach even greater heights in the coming years.”
“In our company, whole grains have become one of the first things we talk about when developing a new product. It says something about how strong a parameter whole grains have become.”
“As the largest supplier of bread to the Danes, we have a responsibility to improve public health. We continuously improve our products so that we can always offer bread with a minimum amount of whole grains and fibers, even if it may not necessarily be seen or tasted. Our participation in the Whole Grain Partnership adds a meaningful dimension to our mission.”
“The healthy choice should be the easy choice, and the whole grain logo has made it easy for the Danes to choose whole grains. The potential is enormous when many of us collaborate on the health challenge.”