COPENHAGEN: Randers, central Denmark, has made it compulsory to have pork on the food menu in municipal canteens, schools and daycare centers. The political parties said the move is necessary for preserving ‘Danish food culture’, and it is not an attack on Muslims.
Randers City Council said public institutions must provide“Danish food culture as a central part of the offering including serving pork on an equal footing with other foods”.
Due to Muslim immigration at least 30 of the country’s 1,719 daycare institutions have completely banned the pork and switched to halal food.
The move has been welcomed by the anti mass immigration Danish People’s party (DPP), which said it was “unacceptable to ban Danish food culture”.
Martin Henriksen, party spokesman posted on Facebook that. “The DPP is working nationally and locally for Danish culture, including Danish food culture, and consequently we also fight against Islamic rules and misguided considerations dictating what Danish children eat.”
Prime minister, Helle Thorning-Schmidt, in 2013, strongly criticised nurseries that had stopped serving pork because Muslim children refused to eat it.
Manu Sareen, Danish Social Liberal party, said.“to impose a forced ideology … in this case on children”.
Denmark is a major pork producer and it is the most popular meat. Pork products make up for 5 percent of Danish exports. But it is forbidden to Muslims.