Organic Scandal at Nordic Sugar: The Danish Veterinary and Food Administration Considers Police Report

One of Denmark's largest food producers has found itself in an organic scandal. The company behind Dansukker was visited by the Danish Veterinary and Food Administration in January 2025. Here, a spot check revealed that in November 2024, Nordic Sugar registered 1,020 kilos more finished brown sugar products in their system than the bag counter showed was possible.

"Nordic Sugar could not document that the sugar originated from organic production. There was uncertainty about the organic status of the sugar. The documentation must consist of internal quantitative records of where the sugar comes from. Accounting entries must be traceable to relevant documents, and there were discrepancies," reads a written response to Folketidende from the Danish Veterinary and Food Administration.

At the same time, Nordic Sugar could not present the legally required documentation for the organic origin of 346,960 kilos of sugar stored at Denmark's largest sugar factory in Nykøbing. This led the Danish Veterinary and Food Administration to issue an immediate ban to prevent the sugar from reaching consumers. After several months, Nordic Sugar eventually had to give up documenting the organic origin and downgraded the 629 pallets to conventional sugar to have the ban lifted.

Repeated breaches of organic regulations

Additionally, the company's headquarters in Copenhagen were visited by the Food Control several times over 11 months, where each time deficiencies were found in administrative procedures concerning organic products. Among other things, there were missing descriptions of recipes, supplier declarations, and transport documents. Finally, in Nykøbing, they broke the cleaning rules that are meant to ensure that organic sugar is not mixed with conventional sugar.

The conditions at Nordic Sugar are so critical that the Danish Veterinary and Food Administration is currently considering reporting Nordic Sugar to the police. This is what the Food Manager for FoodEast, Jakob Munkhøj Nielsen, tells Folketidende. 

- When it is stated in the inspection report that the company will be reported to the police, it is something that happens going forward. It has not yet been reported to the police because we have some extra checks to go through when there is no legal precedent in this particular area. We have warned of a police report, but whether we end up there in the end, we are currently going through a larger quality check, he informs Folketidende.

Organic Scandal: Changing Explanations and Lack of Documentation

The inspection reports reveal in detail how Nordic Sugar has had issues with traceability, internal procedures, and the credibility of their explanations in the case of organic sugar.

In addition to reading inspection reports, Folketidende has sought several access to information requests, spoken with a food safety expert, and the Consumer Council Think. A picture emerges of a company that has failed in several areas to live up to the Food Act.

It must not happen

Food safety expert, Flemming Davidsen is an assistant professor at Business Academy Aarhus. He has been involved in food safety since 1995 and has, among other things, a background in the Danish Veterinary and Food Administration. He does not comment on specific companies, but generally on how work is conducted in the food industry and how legislation is complied with. When Folketidende interviews him prior to the publication of this article, we have not told him which company or which food product is in question. 

- It is quite serious. This must not happen. Neither that the accounts are not in order, nor that the separation is not in order, he says and explains that it is about ensuring that pesticides or additives from conventional goods do not get into organic ones.

Folketidende has asked the expert what he thinks about a company that cannot document traceability for such a long time.

- Then there is something fundamentally wrong. Of course, a pallet slip can fall off in a warehouse, but it can be corrected in half an hour, says Flemming Davidsen and states.

- But not being able to produce it for several months seems unreliable.

Protection against carelessness and fraud

The Consumer Council Think is also quite clear in its statements about the conditions at Nordic Sugar.

- It is quite crucial to have these procedures for separation and labelling, but also documentation for traceability. It's about protecting against carelessness and fraud, and ensuring that as a consumer, you can trust that when you buy an organic product, that's what you get. Apparently, there haven't been good enough procedures for this here, which is problematic, says food policy advisor, Maja Effersøe Khan, from the Consumer Council Think.

Guaranteeing the red Ø

Folketidende has requested an interview with Nordic Sugar's managing director, Jannik Olejas. He states that he is unable to attend an interview but has asked for questions in writing. Folketidende has sent a series of questions regarding both the discrepancies in the quantity accounts for the brown sugar and the lack of documentation for the organic origin of the 346,960 kilos of sugar. Jannik Olejas writes:

 ”During an inspection visit in January, the Danish Veterinary and Food Administration asked us to be more explicit in documenting our self-controls and processes. For example, when a sugar bag bursts during production, we collect this quantity for reprocessing without continuously recording it. In the future, we will continuously record such incidents and thereby ensure even better traceability. Likewise, we have updated and upgraded the process description and documentation for the cleaning process of our packing machines. Thus, we have taken the criticism into account and adjusted our procedures and instructed the employees. During inspection visits in March and as recently as last week, the administration confirmed that the processes are now satisfactory and had no further remarks. You can always be sure that there is organic sugar in the bags with the red Ø - due to our separate production process and the thorough cleaning of machines when switching between conventional and organic sugar," says the managing director. 

Folketidende has unsuccessfully reached out to Jannik Olejas, where we repeat the questions about brown sugar and traceability.