The Swedes want Swedish food on the Christmas table, something researchers interpret as a sustainability mindset.
According to a survey commissioned by TV4 Nyheterna, it is most important that the party food they buy is of high quality and Swedish.
– Why should we ship our food halfway across the globe, it’s unnecessary, says Magnus Berg in Enköping.
Lars-Erik Matsson and Britt Karlsson arrive in the parking lot outside a supermarket in Enköping. The Christmas ham and Christmas sausages are already purchased, locally produced in Uppland.
– Preferably locally produced. Good taste is the most important thing, says Britt Karlsson.
– Yes, that’s really what it’s all about, it should taste good. The price comes second, says Lars-Erik Matsson.
High quality at the top
When TV4 Nyheterna asks the question which three factors are most important when Swedes buy party food, 71 percent answer high quality, just over half have Swedish production among the top three and 45 percent that it is affordable.
Henrik Lagerlund, professor of practical philosophy who researches sustainable food and sustainable food systems at Stockholm University, thinks the results of the survey are interesting.
– As number two on your list it says that it is produced in Sweden and you can see that as a result of the discussion about sustainability, says Henrik Lagerlund.
More green on the Christmas table too
Researchers and environmental organizations have many tips for a more sustainable Christmas table. Vegetables need to take up more space and herring and ham considerably less. More green and less meat also applies to a more sustainable global food system.
– The food system contributes almost 30 percent of all the greenhouse gases we humans spread. Changing that starts with less meat consumption, says Henrik Lagerlund, researcher at Stockholm University.
In TV4Nyhetern’s survey, sustainability and ecology were among the most important for 21 and 11 percent of the more than 1,000 respondents, respectively. For Thea Danielson, who also shops at the supermarket in Enköping, it is most important that the goods are organic.
– Organic, Krav-marked, Swedish, all of it. It is super important, says Thea Danielsson.