Inflation rose to 9.7 percent in September according to Statistics Norway’s latest measurement, and this is not least visible in food prices.
According to the price comparison service Matpriskollen, which has long followed Swedish food prices, cheese is the food group that has increased in price the most, followed by other dairy products.
– Butter has become a symbol of inflation, says Ulf Mazur.
Arla: “Farmers must get a good price”
On average, all table butter has increased by 32 percent during the year, and you can see clear jumps in the price at, among others, Skånemejerier, ICA and Valio.
– It looks like we may end up on a new price plateau – but we don’t know exactly where it will end yet, says Ulf Mazur.
– In recent days, it looks like Bregott and Arla’s Swedish butter has been raised by around 3-4 kroner per package now, so so far this year they have increased by approximately 19 and 20 kroner respectively.
Arla, which is the market leader in butter and margarine, believes that it benefits Swedish agriculture when they take the lead in price increases.
– We have raised the prices first, then most have followed. If you look at the milk price that we have raised for our owners, most other dairy associations have followed suit. It’s because we want to be at the forefront of preserving our farmers, our owners and our farms in Sweden, says Marika Lifbom, dairy manager at Arla Götene.
Price increase from the producers
The price that reaches the consumer is set in the daily grocery trade, but the price increases that are taking effect now come from the producer side, says Ulf Mazur.
– Yes, since we can see that the increases are relatively the same, and we are starting to see them in all food chains, it indicates that the producers have raised the price, says Ulf Mazur.
How much can the price increase?
– I think we will have to get used to higher prices. In the future, there will also be price reductions, but it will take a while into next year, believes Ulf Mazur.
Increased price of feed, shavings, fuel, electricity, transport, rapeseed oil and packaging – see what affects the price of butter in the video.