Today, Finance Minister Elisabeth Svantesson (M) and Rural Affairs Minister Peter Kullgren (KD) have invited food giants and the food industry to a meeting at the Ministry of Finance.
Prior to the meeting, the Left Party held a demonstration outside in protest against the high food prices. Nooshi Dadgostar says that a reduction in food prices must be made urgently.
Now we must get food prices down and the food giants need to get a commitment to lower their prices after this meeting. Because right now they are enormously high and families with children are struggling to make ends meet.
Too Little
The Moderate Party leader Magdalena Andersson thinks that the government is doing too little to press food prices.
It's completely unreasonable with the high dividends and large profit margins that we see the food giants having, she says.
This week, many Swedes are boycotting the large food giants Axfood, Ica, and Coop.
I really understand the frustration that exists over the rising food prices. It's families who are having an incredibly hard time making ends meet, says Magdalena Andersson.
She doesn't think that the meeting the government has invited the food industry to today is enough to bring about a change.
Really not. It's nice that they're having coffee with the food giants, she says ironically.
"Completely Unreasonable"
But it would be better to appoint a food price commission, increase competition in the wholesale sector, and put a warning triangle on products in case of "shrinkflation", she continues.
Yesterday, it became known that Axfood – with the stores Willys and Hemköp – is distributing 1.9 billion kronor to its owners.
It's clear that it sticks in the eyes of ordinary households who are struggling to make ends meet, says Magdalena Andersson.
Here it's completely unreasonable with the high dividends and large profit margins that we see the food giants having. Here the government needs to act to put pressure on the food giants, and then it's not enough to just have coffee.
