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By: Associate Professor Jochen Theis, Department of Business and Management, ÌǹûÅÉ¶Ô Kolding and Associate Professor Mathias Porsmose Clausen, Department of Green Technology, ÌǹûÅÉ¶Ô Odense

Greenhouse gas emissions from human activity have increased over recent decades, significantly contributing to climate change. A large portion of these greenhouse gases comes from food production, consumer behavior, and our dietary preferences. According to the EU, food production from farm-to-fork accounts for about 30% of the total CO2 emissions in the EU.

Denmark has some of the largest and most successful companies in the EU’s agricultural and food sectors. As proof of the high productivity in these sectors, Danish food production is large enough to feed over 15 million people. Given this, it is no surprise that the agricultural sector and the food industry are of great economic importance to Denmark, but they also contribute significantly to Danish CO2 emissions.

Our traditional diet, which is responsible for a large portion of these emissions, consists largely of industrially produced meat and dairy products. Therefore, a solution to this problem could be to switch to a ‘climate diet,’ a climate-friendly food supply that consists much more of plant-based foods. In this way, the food industry, retail, and consumers could play a leading role in the shift to a climate-friendly diet. However, although we have seen an increase in the availability of climate-friendly food products and their market share in recent years, traditional products still dominate the market across all product categories.

In a current research project, we have combined a structured analysis of relevant literature on the subject with interviews and surveys to explore why a large-scale transition of the food sector towards a climate-friendly food supply has yet to take place, despite its clear relevance for the global climate. Previous research has pointed to a strong interest among consumers for climate-friendly food products, and more people are identifying as 'flexitarians.' This term is a blend of ‘flexible’ and ‘vegetarian’ and refers to individuals who primarily eat vegetarian foods but occasionally also consume meat, fish, and other animal products. Research also indicates that consumers prefer traditional foods over plant-based products, which are central to the climate diet. Consumers cite reasons such as the bitter taste of plants and lack of sweetness, as well as their less pleasant texture and mouthfeel – and, not least, the absence of umami.

Umami is one of the five basic tastes alongside sweet, sour, salty, and bitter. The Japanese word umami refers to a pleasant savory sensation that enhances the depth of the flavor of food. Umami often comes from animal-based products like meat, fish, and dairy. One interviewee added that, in natural extension of our traditional eating habits, consumers have developed a taste for foods like cheese and cured meats, which are rich in umami flavor, and which are more difficult to replicate with plant-based products. Additionally, plant-based food products offered to consumers today are often highly processed, raising questions about their health value.

All of this suggests that producers must focus more on developing healthy and tasty plant-based alternatives to traditional meat and dairy products in order to accelerate the food industry's transition to a more climate-friendly offering. In this regard, one interviewee mentioned European and national food regulations as a particular challenge for producers. The EU defines ‘novel foods’ as foods that have not been consumed to any significant extent by the population within the EU. The definition can refer both to a newly developed, innovative food product produced using new technologies and production processes, and to a food that has traditionally only been consumed outside the EU. It can be difficult to obtain prior approval for novel foods based on evaluations of, for example, consumer safety or labeling. Instead, it may be an easier route for food producers to start with already existing and approved ingredients from traditional foods and integrate them into a new plant-based product.

Another possible hindrance, mentioned in the interviews, is that large food producers often stick to their strong brands, which typically represent classic food products, and hesitate to invest time and resources into developing new brands aimed at smaller market shares. Here, start-ups focusing on building brands around climate-friendly food products, and perhaps even prioritizing climate impact over profit in their mission, could play a role as catalysts for change.

Previous research has also indicated that companies wanting to change direction towards the production of more climate-friendly food products face difficulties in attracting equity and debt capital. This is partly a result of investors' lack of knowledge about the climate diet concept. One interviewee emphasized the importance of ‘business angels,’ particularly for start-ups. Business angels are typically wealthy individuals who contribute their own funds to a project they find exciting. Sometimes, but not always, a business angel participates in the operations of the company and has both financial and non-financial goals, such as supporting the food sector’s transition to a climate diet.

To summarize, our research project highlighted several central challenges embedded in the desire for a swift large-scale transformation of the food sector to a more climate-friendly supply and also pointed to some potential actions that could accelerate the process. Spreading this knowledge more widely across the sector would benefit both regulators and the food industry.

This article is based on the research project "Food system transition towards a ‘climate diet’ – Taste as a driver for change," supported by the ÌǹûÅÉ¶Ô Climate Cluster and conducted by Jochen Theis and Mathias Porsmose Clausen.

This article was published in JYSK Fynske Mediers Erhverv+ on April 3, 2025.