UdenUSA: The Danish App That Lets You Boycott American Products at the Supermarket

The Danish Consumer Says "Nok" (Enough)

Donald Trump's claim to the Danish territory of Greenland was a wake-up call for a Europe that has spent decades seeing the United States as its main ally. Although tensions seem to have calmed after the agreement reached at the Davos summit, this attack on Denmark's sovereignty has not been forgotten by those most affected: the Danes.

Now, through an app called UdenUSA (an expression that can be translated as "without the United States"), consumers in the Nordic country have said nok (enough).

How the App Works

UdenUSA's operation is simple but effective. Using their mobile phones, shoppers can scan each product on Danish supermarket shelves:

A bottle of French champagne? A green tick gives its blessing. A can of Coca-Cola Zero? A red X invites you to put it back on the shelf.

The Developer: Jonas Pipper

Jonas Pipper, the 21-year-old who co-developed this app, describes it as "a weapon for trade war within reach of consumers". According to Bloomberg, Pipper considers giving Danish citizens the ability to send a message to the United States "pretty cool."

"I don't know if Trump has an iPhone, but if he wants, he can also use the app" — Jonas Pipper, UdenUSA co-developer

Impact and Reach

As Trump's threats over Greenland escalated, so did UdenUSA downloads. It has become the most downloaded free app on the Danish App Store.

The app is now available in six languages: Danish, English, French, German, Norwegian, and Swedish, and is preparing its arrival on Android smartphones.

Recognized Limitations

With barely six million inhabitants (one million fewer than the Community of Madrid), Denmark's boycott is not going to make a big dent in the US economy. Especially considering that UdenUSA focuses on basic products, ignoring services and technology, the true backbone of American corporate power.

However, it is a sign of how the Trump administration's measures are creating growing discontent among the United States' historical allies.

The "Sell America" Movement in Markets

Beyond the battle on supermarket shelves, Trump's foreign policy is also having its reflection in financial markets. At the height of the tension, investors activated what has begun to be called "Sell America":

• The dollar depreciated
• US bond yields rose
• The S&P 500 fell

The Danish pension fund AkdemikerPension sold all of its US debt ($100 million). Although it was a drop in the ocean of the $28 trillion total US debt, the symbolism of the move attracted global attention.

Washington's Response

During the World Economic Forum in Davos, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent ridiculed the possibility that Europe could adopt a UdenUSA approach in financial markets:

"Danish investments in US debt, like Denmark itself, are irrelevant" — Scott Bessent, US Treasury Secretary

Final Reflection

Anders Schelde, chief investment officer at AkdemikerPension, reflected on the long-term implications:

"You can't put the genie back in the bottle. Things may improve and calm down in a couple of months, and Trump can't be re-elected, and the next president may be different from him, but what will happen in five, six, or ten years?"

What will happen in that timeframe nobody knows. Nor is it known how long the boycott of American products facilitated by UdenUSA will last or how intense it will be. What is clear is that European citizens are finding new ways to express their discontent with Washington's policies.

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Sources: Cinco Días, Bloomberg, El País