Swedish strawberry shortage pushes up prices before Midsummer holiday
It's unclear if there will be enough Swedish strawberries for Midsummer celebrations tomorrow, after bad weather during spring and summer has led to a disappointing strawberry harvest.
The lack of Swedish berries this year has meant wholesalers have had to order strawberries from other countries for the first time in years, SVT reports.
The shortage doesn't just mean they're harder to get hold of, but also that prices have been pushed up. In the last few days, a litre-sized punnet of strawberries has cost over 100 kronor in certain areas. Strawberries are usually sold by the litre or half-litre in Sweden.
"We're doing everything we can, and we're managing to fulfil most of our commitments," Anders Svensson, the man responsible for strawberries at Finnerödja bär, told SVT.
"But prices are going to be high. Like everything right now, it's also affecting strawberries."
SEB Bank's Midsummer Index for 2022 of typical food and drinks bought for the holiday, which was released this week, showed a price increase of 11.7 percent for typical Midsummer foods compared to last year.
Even in comparison to other price indexes such as the wider Consumer Price Index, which increased by 7.3 percent this year, Midsummer foods have seen a major increase in price over the past year - and strawberries were also affected, with the bank reporting a 12.3 percent increase in the price of fresh berries compared to this time last year.
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The lack of Swedish berries this year has meant wholesalers have had to order strawberries from other countries for the first time in years, SVT reports.
The shortage doesn't just mean they're harder to get hold of, but also that prices have been pushed up. In the last few days, a litre-sized punnet of strawberries has cost over 100 kronor in certain areas. Strawberries are usually sold by the litre or half-litre in Sweden.
"We're doing everything we can, and we're managing to fulfil most of our commitments," Anders Svensson, the man responsible for strawberries at Finnerödja bär, told SVT.
"But prices are going to be high. Like everything right now, it's also affecting strawberries."
SEB Bank's Midsummer Index for 2022 of typical food and drinks bought for the holiday, which was released this week, showed a price increase of 11.7 percent for typical Midsummer foods compared to last year.
Even in comparison to other price indexes such as the wider Consumer Price Index, which increased by 7.3 percent this year, Midsummer foods have seen a major increase in price over the past year - and strawberries were also affected, with the bank reporting a 12.3 percent increase in the price of fresh berries compared to this time last year.
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