Østre Landsret on Monday began hearing a case over whether the vegan meals served at Hvidovre Hospital amounted to discrimination against a patient.
The case is being brought by Dansk Vegetarisk Forening on behalf of a vegan woman who was admitted twice in 2020, in connection with her pregnancy and later her birth. DR reports that the judges must decide whether a hospital meal can constitute discrimination.
During the admissions, the woman was offered food that included rice, root vegetables and crispbread. According to the woman, the meals were not sufficiently nutritious. The association sued Region Hovedstaden, which runs Hvidovre Hospital, in 2024.
A test case for public kitchens
Rune-Christoffer Dragsdahl, general secretary of Dansk Vegetarisk Forening, says the case is above all about a clarification of principle. The question is whether public institutions must offer proper vegan meals, as reported by DR.
Per Dragsdahl, the association first tried the route of dialogue, including a petition. It could not gather enough signatures. The question was still raised in the Folketing in 2021, in a vote on whether all public kitchens should offer a green option.
According to the general secretary, that proposal was far from a majority. He describes the lawsuit as the result of having tried every other conceivable path first.
Dragsdahl acknowledges that food options at Danish hospitals have generally improved since 2020. He argues that menus still differ significantly from hospital to hospital.
As noted by Dragsdahl, a number of hospitals serve vegan meals without problems. In his view, the hospitals that do not have no good excuse.
According to the association’s website, a 2025 survey by Coop Analyse and Dansk Vegetarisk Forening found that 1 percent of Danes eat a fully vegan diet. Dragsdahl says he is optimistic about the coming ruling.
Acquitted in the first instance
The case was first heard at Retten i Hillerød in the spring of 2024. There, Region Hovedstaden was acquitted, because the district court did not find that discrimination had taken place.
The district court placed weight on the fact that the woman did receive vegan food during her admission. It also noted that she had the option of supplementing her diet herself.
If the landsret upholds that judgment, the association says it will appeal to the Supreme Court. Dragsdahl states that in this specific case, a violation of human rights has occurred.
Region Hovedstaden does not wish to comment on the pending case, according to a written response from the region cited by DR. When the ruling will be ready is not known, as several weeks usually pass after a hearing.
