Fact: Food that has fallen in price in the last month
Fruit and berries – 1.6 percent
Vegetables − 1.5 percent
Cheese − 0.8 percent
Dairy – 0.7 percent
In dairy, it is above all the following product groups and Arla’s products that have been reduced the most:
Crème fraiche and sour cream − 0.3 percent
Milk and cream − 0.5%
Filet and yogurt − 0.8%
Edible fat − 2.2%
Curd and cottage cheese − 2.4%
Strawberries – 5.9 percent
Grapes − 5.6 percent
Orange − 3.9 percent
Rhubarb − 3.2 percent
Avocado − 3.0 percent
Tomato − 5.3 percent
Cauliflower and broccoli − 6.0 percent
Paprika −7.0 percent
Cucumber – 14.6 percent
Eggplant and zucchini − 22.1 percent
Source: Matpriskollen
In total, the average prices have fallen by 0.1 percent on over 40,000 products between March 20 and April 17, the Matpriskollen latest review shows.
The decline can largely be explained by falling prices for dairy, cheese, fruit and vegetables.
The paprika on its way down
On fruit and vegetables, which vary with the season, prices are dropping for several items heading into the harvest season: from strawberries and peppers to cucumbers and zucchini.
At the same time, pantry goods in particular have become more expensive in the last four weeks. The categories barbecue and marinades have increased by 2.5 percent and spices and flavorings by 1.8 percent.
That Finance Minister Elisabeth Svantesson (M) summoned the CEOs of the three major players in the food market – Ica, Axfood and Coop – attracted attention. She wanted the food giants to do more to depress prices and take responsibility for fighting inflation.
Just seeing a PR win
Lidl, which was not at the meeting, was the first to announce price cuts on several products. Then Coop and Ica followed.
— I find it difficult to see any effect of the meeting more than Lidl’s PR gain. It’s market logic – when one lowers prices, others must follow suit. There, the focus has become sharper since the ministerial meeting, says Ulf Mazur, CEO and founder of the Matpriskollen.
— When you communicate a lot about price reductions, there is a risk that the consumer’s expectations are greater than the actual price reductions.
He states that there is a risk that distrust may arise:
— Like when you see that an item has been reduced by, for example, a full three kroner, but it still costs twelve kroner more than in August 2022. There are many such examples.
Continued pressure from producers
Ulf Mazur further explains that the overall impact is not very large.
— There is continued pressure from producers to get price increases through. Development has not stopped just because you had a ministerial meeting and lowered prices a little. The backlogs are large and the upward cost pressure as well.
Ulf Mazur points out that communication in grocery stores can sometimes be difficult to understand.
— Ica traders act in many different ways. That is why it is so difficult to promise something central. Depending on which store I go into, I get different messages. Some are more modest and put up a small sign that says “Reduced price”.
— Others are more expressive. The other day I saw a store that had 153 price reduction signs in the bread section. It is clear that you think about what they want to say with it. I mostly wonder why it was not lowered earlier.