Denmark’s red organic label - the Ø-mark - has been in use for 25 years and can only be used on foods that have been certified by the department for organic products of The Danish Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Fishery.
“Knowledge of the organic label has reached the ultimate 100%. There are therefore no Danes who responded that they had 'never"' heard of Ø-mark,” says the survey.
Environmental and food minister, Esben Lunde Larsen, said this growing awareness was demonstrative of the huge market potential of organic food. “We are now witnessing a great and significant development of Danish ecology both on the consumer and producer side. Consumers within and outside the country are demanding ever more organic products."
“With a solid organic domestic standing, Danish agriculture [is] in a favourable position,” he added.
The YouGov survey involved over 1000 participants aged 18 to 75 years old representative of Denmark’s population. All of the respondents said they had heard of the organic logo, while 15% said they had heard of the logo but knew almost nothing of the brand, while 30% knew the brand really well.
Awareness among women has remained stable but there has been a slight increase among men, while the proportion of consumers who say they "have heard of but know almost nothing" of the Ø-mark has nearly doubled (from 9% to 15%).
Meanwhile awareness of the EU organic logo is also on the rise, especially among women, young people aged 18-39 year and those who shop on a daily basis.
Respondents said the supply of organic products was 'satisfactory' overall with only a few product categories failing to offer enough organic versions. The worst categories tend to be meat products, especially for cold cuts, poultry and beef products.
A ‘most ambitious’ country
Last year the government announced an action plan to double its organic farmland by 2020 and to increase demand for organic food, calling it the most ambitious organic plan in any Western country.
The association also says the country’s organic retail sector is the most developed in the world, with organic products accounting for 8% of total grocery spending.
In 1987 Denmark became the first country in the world to implement state certification of organic production methods. According to trade association Organic Denmark, this governmental control is a crucial factor in ensuring consumer confidence with 90% of those who recognise the Ø-label saying it is ‘highly trusted’.
The results of the survey and the full accompanying report can be seen here (in Danish).