From tofu to juice, students are feeling the squeeze of rising grocery costs. A national boycott of major grocery chains has gained traction. Lundagård took to the streets to ask students about their grocery spending habits and thoughts on the boycott.
Between February 2024 and February of this year, food prices in Sweden have risen by 3,9 percent, according to the Swedish official statistics agency. According to independent monitoring website Matpriskollen (The Food Price Checker), grocery store prices have risen by almost 20 percent over the past two years. This has resulted in a national media campaign in Sweden aimed at boycotting big grocery store chains in week 12.
For Vera Vlachos and Mina Rehn, both studying a Bachelor in Politics and Economics, the rise in food prices has not gone unnoticed.
– When the tofu prices went up, I really noticed it, because it is so cheap to begin with. So when that went up by an entire crown, I noticed. Which is not a lot, but it starts adding up, Vera says.
Consequently, their spending habits have changed.
– I mostly buy Eldorado, which is Willys low-budget option, Mina says.
Vera also notes a change in her spending behavior:
– For vegetables and fruit, I go to smaller shops that do not belong to chains. They have vegetable stands outside of the stores, and the kilo prices are much lower [than those of big grocery chains].
When asked about the boycott, they say they both participate. Admittedly, Mina says she makes sure to buy a lot of groceries on Sunday before the boycott started, to be prepared.
– It makes it really obvious how dependent we are on the big chains and the corporations, says Vera.
”Juice has gotten really expensive”
Whilst talking about grocery prices, Thomas Haas, an exchange student from Germany studying law, indicates that he does not have a budget, however he tries to always get the cheapest price possible. This is why he favors doing his groceries at Lidl. Still, he has noticed that prices have gone up.
– Especially juice, for example, has gotten really expensive. Almost 50 SEK at times.
Thomas says that he now thinks twice about what he buys in order to avoid unnecessary costs.
He too read about the boycott on X a few days ago. It has made him more aware to not go to big grocery stories such as ICA, Willies, and Coop.
– After what I learned, I try to avoid it, Thomas says.
Erik Davidsson, who studies Electrical Engineering at LTH, says that he does not budget for his groceries, and spends between 2000-3000 SEK a month. It is a little more expensive, he says, because he prefers to buy ecological food at Coop. To him, this is worth it:
– I can spend more money on groceries instead of going clubbing or buying alcohol, that is more worth it.
The rising food prices have therefore not affected his spending that much.
– I also work while studying, so I can work more to still buy what I want.
Erik has not heard about the boycott this week, which is surprising to his friend Hannah Jahnke, who is sitting next to him. She exclaims:
– It is all over the news! Even my grandparents are participating.
To this, Erik responds:
– I guess I am more of a boomer than your grandparents.
The Swedish food market is dominated by three major players – Ica, Coop, and Axfood. A recurring argument from the grocery giants has been that the rising prices are due to the pandemic, war, inflation, and environmental impact. However, between 2019 and 2024, the gross profits of Sweden’s three largest grocery chains increased. According to Sydsvenskan, Coop Sverige AB’s gross profit grew from 1.3 to 2.2 billion SEK, Ica Group’s from 20.2 to 25.9 billion SEK, and Axfood’s (owner of Willys and Hemköp) almost doubled, from 7.9 to 12.2 billion SEK.
One of the people that is involved in spreading the word about the boycott is Sofie Odde Ibsen, a student in Human Ecology. To avoid being hit by raising food prices, Sofie has been dumpster diving alongside going to the grocery store to get her products. When her collective, Ecosocialist Collective Lund, was contacted to spread the word about the boycott, this initiative fit their profile.
– A lot of the information was spread in Swedish, so initially we did not know [about the boycott]. So we did some flyers last week, and put out some posters around the campus, Sofie says.
For Sofie personally, the boycott has been going well. She mentions going to small grocery stores, joining the People’s Kitchen for dinner, and finishing up her pantry food as tactics she has used the past week.
Though the extent to which the students Lundagård talks to participate in the boycott varies, all agree that something must be done to stop the increase in grocery store prices. While Erik is unaware of the boycott prior to the interview, he views the initiative in a positive light:
– It is good that we show resistance to rising prices. They [the grocery chains] shouldn’t take a bigger cut of the profit than they used to.
It remains to be seen whether the boycott will lead to lower grocery prices. Mina expresses skepticism about its impact but acknowledges its significance:
– You wonder, how much is actually going to change, how much impact will it have. But I also feel that within the financial system that we have, it is the only tool as consumers we have to change the behavior of the companies.
Erik argues that introducing state-owned grocery stores, similar to Systembolaget, may alleviate the problem of high food prices.
– Maybe it would be good, in this case, because the state can drive down the prices.
Sofie thinks that change will occur as long as consumers are willing to show up.
– If we keep pushing, something will happen, she says.
