Copenhagen mayor says care homes can serve beef patties

Copenhagen care homes can serve beef patties and other meat without breaching the city’s food strategy, Lord Mayor Sisse Marie Welling said, disputing claims that climate rules restrict menus. DR reported that the strategy is guidance and focuses more on nutrition than climate.

The issue has sparked debate at Copenhagen City Hall and on Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen’s social media. A recent analysis said some care homes had rejected residents’ requests for beef on their birthdays because of concerns about carbon emissions.

Welling said limiting beef had never been the strategy’s intention. She described the analysis as documenting individual examples and said she hoped Health and Care Mayor Jens Kristian Lütken would follow up on them.

Lütken said care homes take municipal guidance seriously and may read it as a requirement. He wants the city to revise its food strategy to exempt services for older people, arguing that the current guidance is too rigid.

The analysis, conducted by consultancy and audit firm BDO for Copenhagen Municipality in July 2026, surveyed 200 care home residents and 607 people living at home. It found that 58 to 60 per cent were satisfied with the food, while 8 to 13 per cent were dissatisfied or not satisfied at all. Some care home residents reported low satisfaction with the quality of meat and said beef was rarely on the menu. The analysis also found that residents wanted more influence over meals.

All parties represented at Copenhagen City Hall during the previous election period, including the Social Liberals and Venstre, supported the city’s food strategy.