Whether it’s catering for a large event, a quick hotdog before a concert, or a restaurant visit with friends during a cultural festival, food remains one of the central elements of the guest experience when visiting Herning. As a destination, it is our goal to contribute to the realization of national climate targets as well as the UN's Sustainable Development Goals.

E.A.T. is our first strategic initiative in the effort towards sustainable tourism development and enhancing the dining experiences we offer to our guests.

The team behind E.A.T. is a collaboration between VisitHerning and Bæredygtig Herning, supported by Herning Municipality and the Danish Business Promotion Board.

We aim to create high-quality food experiences, offer a wide range of dining options, and place a greater focus on local collaboration. This will be achieved through various initiatives where we develop together, create opportunities for professional dialogue, enhance skill levels, and establish new partnerships across sectors. The initiatives are developed based on the abstraction ladder, where we move from abstract frameworks to concrete actions.

Here you can read more about the project's strategic initiatives:

The E.A.T. alliance

The project has established a local green alliance, where members act as ambassadors who prioritize efforts toward sustainable transition. It is a community where we set shared ambitions and direction for the destination's sustainable transformation of the guest food experience.

E.A.T. – The local food pyramid

The local food pyramid is a joint strategy for the destination, developed by the alliance. The cornerstone of the strategy is collaboration between local businesses, which build relevant competencies to advance their work with the destination’s dining experience. These competencies and partnerships form the foundation for the behavior we aim to demonstrate and, ultimately, the values we want to be known for as a destination.

The E.A.T. dogmas

Based on the local food pyramid, the alliance has developed four dogmas that represent a shared interpretation and understanding of the values we, as a destination, wish to demonstrate and further develop.

E.A.T. Index
The E.A.T. Index is a method that concretizes and makes the dogmas measurable. We will use the index as a tool to evaluate the destination's performance on the four dogmas. The tool will also highlight where individual actors excel and identify potential areas for improvement. Finally, the tool can be used to analyze the progress of the project in promoting sustainable tourism development.

E.A.T. Newsletter
We send out a newsletter designed to inspire recipients with sustainable initiatives. Additionally, its purpose is to share knowledge and inform about what others are contributing to the sustainable transition.

E.A.T. Advisory Services
We aim to support the development of individual businesses, regardless of where they currently are on their sustainability journey. With E.A.T. Advisory Services, we help businesses kickstart their work on sustainable initiatives. In collaboration with the Business Council of Herning and Ikast-Brande and an external consultant, we tailor a program based on the specific needs of each business.

E.A.T. Masterclasses
Together with members of the local green alliance, we host E.A.T. Masterclasses, which are developed to address a specific need of an actor. A workshop is held based on this need. An example of this could be adding more green options to the menus in large-scale kitchens.

E.A.T. Supplier Collaboration
Within the project, a working group consisting of restaurants, hotels, local producers, and suppliers has developed a plan to ensure that local dining establishments can serve fresh, local vegetables without the produce traveling extensively. This is farm-to-table at its finest. Restaurants and hotels now have the opportunity – through Gartnerhallen – to order local vegetables with next-day delivery. See the press release below for more information about this supplier collaboration.