Danes’ food choices are shaped by price, taste and trust
Many Danes care more about price and taste than about risks when buying food. At the same time, they have a high level of trust that food is produced safely – and that researchers and authorities provide reliable information about food safety. This is shown in a new survey from the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), which maps Europeans’ knowledge and attitudes towards food safety in 2025.
Many Danes care more about price and taste than about risks when buying food. Photo: Colourbox
Wednesday 29 October 2025
In the survey, 57% of Danish respondents identify price as the most important factor when buying food, while 51% mention taste. Food safety (44%) and the geographical origin of products (41%) follow as key considerations.
High trust in researchers and authorities
92% of Danes say they trust information on food-related risks from scientists at universities and publicly funded research institutions, compared with 84% in the EU.
90% trust information from national authorities (EU average: 70%), and trust in EU institutions reaches 80% in Denmark compared with 69% across the EU.
Greater knowledge increases awareness of risks
Danes are more familiar with food safety topics than the European average. 84% are aware of microplastics (EU: 63%), 80% of pesticides (EU: 67%) and 85% of additives (EU: 71%).
Microplastics in food are also the issue most Danes are aware of (51%), followed by pesticide residues (48%), residues of antibiotics, hormones or steroids in meat (44%) and additives (42%). Environmental contamination in fish, meat and dairy products is mentioned by 41%.
Danes’ focus on chemical contaminants is generally higher than the EU average, where 33% mention microplastics and 39% mention pesticides.
“The high level of knowledge may mean that Danes are more aware of potential risks than the EU average. But it doesn’t make us more concerned – on the contrary, most of us feel confident about food safety,” says Sisse Fagt, Senior Adviser at DTU National Food Institute.
39% of Danes take for granted that food in Denmark is safe, and 37% believe they already know enough to avoid the main risks. Together, this applies to 76% – slightly more than the EU average (71%). Fewer Danes than other Europeans find the topic too technical or difficult to understand, only 15% say the information is complex, compared with 27% across the EU.
Greater focus on healthy eating than on risks
The survey also shows that Danes focus more on eating healthily than on food-related risks. Approximately half (52%) say they are more concerned about having a healthy diet, while only 9% focus more on food risks. 36% say they think equally about both.
In the EU, significantly more consumers are concerned about food risks (23%), while fewer focus on health (34%). 41% think equally about both.
“The difference may be linked to Danes’ high level of knowledge about food safety and their trust that researchers and authorities have the systems in place to manage risks,” says Sisse Fagt.
How Danes get their information
Danes primarily obtain information about food safety through television and online news (50%), conversations with family and friends (46%) and newspapers – printed or digital (42%).
Danes use newspapers almost twice as often as the EU average (25%) and are also more likely to seek information on institutional websites such as those of public authorities (28% in Denmark versus 18% in the EU).
Overall, interest in food safety is close to the EU average: 68% in Denmark compared with 72% in the EU.
The 2025 Eurobarometer on Food Safety is the fifth of its kind since 2005. It provides an overview of how Europeans choose food, their awareness and concerns about food safety, and the level of trust they place in different information sources.
The survey is based on face-to-face interviews with 26,370 people across the EU, including 991 in Denmark, conducted between 26 March and 22 April 2025. Respondents represent nationally representative samples of citizens aged 15 and over in all EU Member States.
They were selected using a multi-stage, random sampling method, and the data were weighted by gender, age, region (NUTS2) and level of urbanisation to reflect the population structure. Fieldwork was carried out by Verian following the Standard Eurobarometer methodology.
