For more than 100 years Lur branded butter and subsequently LURPAK has been tested and judged, and its consistent quality has been upheld. A quality assurance system has been established that is unrivalled by any other dairy sector in the world.
The quality control system dates back to early 1900 when obligatory butter tastings and analyses were introduced as part of the statutory butter control system, where parameters like consistency, taste and packaging are judged. At that time a national butter control authority carried out the analyses; later, this task was transferred to Steins Laboratory, which is in charge of the quality assessments to this day.
In 1900, as it accounted for 41% of total Danish exports, butter exports were clearly important to the Danish economy. Obviously, there was a growing incentive to safeguard against declining quality and imitations, and in 1906 the Danish parliament passed a new Lur brand law making the brand the official country of origin brand for all exported Danish butter.
Subsequently, in 1911, the Lur mark was raised to the status of a quality mark, entitling only dairies participating in the statutory butter tastings to use the Lur mark and to export butter. Failure to meet the rigid standards could lead to the humiliating loss of having the brand withdrawn.
These butter tastings remain at the core of the LURPAK quality controls. Every week butter samples are strictly analysed and tested, ensuring a consistently high quality LURPAK product is guaranteed.