Syrup waffles, butter, and cheese slices are laid out in the Red Cross's premises in Hovsjö in Södertälje.
Those who are "furthest from the system" come here, says Babylonia Charo as she hands out gift cards worth 200 kronor to buy food for an elderly man.
Many ask if we can't give something more, she says.
Babylonia Charo can't do anything but, in addition to the gift cards, send home some of the operation's waffle slices. The number of people coming to the Red Cross's house for help has increased, and since the turn of the year, Babylonia Charo has noticed that a new group of people has started seeking help.
Ordinary families, who have jobs but have noticed that it's becoming difficult.
Need more support
In recent weeks, several people have tried to negotiate to also get next month's food card at once to solve the most acute situation, in the hope that prices will drop, says Charo.
But next month, the distribution of gift cards will have to be paused – the increased need has made it necessary for the operation to seek new support to continue.
To compensate, food baskets with goods such as flour, yeast, pasta, and rice will be distributed.
We don't want to just leave them in the middle of chaos, says Babylonia Charo.
The latest figures from SCB show that 6 percent of Sweden's population, over half a million people, lived in material and social poverty in 2023.
Half of them answered that they couldn't afford to cook a meal with meat, chicken, fish, or a vegetarian alternative every other day.
The tens of thousands of undocumented immigrants estimated to be in Sweden – the group that needs to ask to take home some waffle slices from the Red Cross's house in Södertälje – are not included in the statistics.
Would have needed twice as much
Those who earn less than approximately 13,000 kronor per month can apply to become a member of Matmissionen, a part of Stadsmissionen's operation that allows members to buy goods with short expiration dates cheaply in special stores.
A few years ago, in 2021, Matmissionen had 7,500 members. Last year, the figure had skyrocketed to 25,000.
The largest influx came in 2022, says CEO Johan Rindevall. At the end of 2022 and the beginning of 2023, food prices rose by up to 20 percent compared to previous years.
The worst shock has already been felt, says Rindevall.
The fresh produce in Matmissionen's stores runs out daily – the need has always been greater than what Matmissionen can offer.
I dare almost promise that if we had had twice as much, it would also have run out.
Worse quality food
Södertälje resident Anwar, who lives on welfare, confirms the picture of a more long-term food poverty – for her, the change came about a couple of years ago. Then she started prioritizing away fruits and vegetables and not buying fish and meat as often.
We buy food of worse quality, she says.
Anwar is a member of Matmissionen, but thinks it's hard to get there to get the good goods. Moreover, the often short expiration dates mean that she always has to solve the food situation one day at a time.
Her friend Seham agrees. She has health problems and should actually eat cholesterol-free food, but can't afford the special diet and eats what she can get.
You have to cut back on everything.
Facts: Rising food prices
In February, food prices rose by 3.9 percent compared to the same month last year. It's the highest increase rate since 2023, according to SCB.
Coffee and butter are examples of food items that have increased significantly, plus 28 and 26 percent in a year, respectively.
Dairy products such as milk, cheese, and eggs have collectively increased in price by 10.4 percent since February last year.
Over the past three years, from January 2022 to January 2025, food prices have risen by 25 percent, according to Matpriskollen. The largest increases came during the inflation years 2022 and 2023.
