Introducing the Danish Legume Partnership (Deliverable 6.4)

The Danish Legume Partnership is a newly established partnership that aims to promote Danes' intake of pulses to support the target from the official dietary guidelines of 100 grams of prepared legumes daily. In 2021, Denmark launched a new set of official dietary guidelines recommending intake of legumes quantified to 100 grams of prepared legumes per day – twice the amount of meat. The quantification of a recommended intake of legumes in the official dietary guidelines has been the lever in creating a Danish Legume Partnership. As there is a big knowledge gap among private operators and professionals regarding legumes, including a lack of kitchen and cooking skills for using underutilised pulses, the creation of a legume partnership aimed to promote the demand for legumes among citizens and food professionals. In the legume alliance none of the stakeholders involved had a commercial aim with their engagement, as they are a mix of organisations working on health, sustainability or promoting local or organic food production. Meetings were held in the alliance and project funds were sought e.g., in the newly established Plant-Based Food Grant. The partners in the Legume Partnership commit to promote the market for legumes, which in turn will lead to an increased demand for neglected species of legumes.