The Food Price Monitor has compared the prices of fruits and vegetables sold at regular prices at different retail chains on a specific day. The price for 40 equivalent products landed at an average of 923 kronor at Lidl and 1,143 kronor at City Gross. This is a difference of over 200 kronor, equivalent to 24 percent, between the cheapest and most expensive chain. Hemköp and Coop were the next most expensive of the compared retail chains.
This price difference, of course, affects consumers greatly. For a family, it can be about thousands of kronor per year, says Ulf Mazur, CEO and founder of the Food Price Monitor.
New Recommendations
According to Svensk Dagligvaruhandel, fruits and vegetables account for 13 percent of the total daily goods sales in Sweden, which corresponds to over 40 billion kronor per year. A forecast is that the figure may rise. According to a proposal for new dietary recommendations that the National Food Agency recently sent out for consultation, the recommended intake of fruits and vegetables should be increased to 500 grams per day.
Now that we should eat less red meat and more fruits and vegetables, it's exciting to investigate prices. Through this survey, we give consumers a snapshot of how it looks, says Ulf Mazur.
He means that it's a challenge to be a price-conscious consumer, not least when it comes to fruits and vegetables.
The stores change their prices on fruits and vegetables on average twice a week, and that makes it difficult to keep track. Many consumers shop on feeling and pick up a few products here and there, he says.
"Be Multiloyal"
As recently as October 14, the Food Price Monitor presented its major food basket survey. In it, the prices of 212 products were compared at the major nationwide chains. Among the chains that participated in the survey, Willys had the lowest regular prices. Among other things, Lidl did not participate in the survey due to its limited range.
Based on the results of your surveys – how should one think when shopping for fruits and vegetables?
As a consumer, you need to reflect on the price and price image, shop seasonally, and take advantage of the offers available without buying too much that you'll later have to throw away. If possible, it's good to be multiloyal, i.e., shop at several different stores, says Ulf Mazur.
Maria Stensson/TT
Facts: This is how much the goods cost at the retail chains
TT
City Gross 1,143.25 kronor
Hemköp 1,125.50 kronor
Coop 1,125.10 kronor
Stora Coop 1,073.90 kronor
ICA Supermarket, 1,072.50 kronor
ICA Kvantum 1,041.35 kronor
Willys 1,017.25 kronor
ICA Maxi 1,002.30 kronor
Lidl 923.80 kronor
The survey was conducted on October 9, 2024. The products included in the survey have been stated to have the same quality and origin (organic/non-organic, Swedish/imported, etc.). The prices are exclusively regular prices.
At ICA, where the price variation is large between different stores, 12 stores from different parts of the country were selected, including Maxi, Kvantum, and Supermarket. At Stora Coop and Coop, 10 stores per chain were selected, at City Gross and Hemköp 5 stores per chain. For Willys and Lidl, 2 stores per chain were selected. The reason for selecting different numbers of stores is that price differences are generally much smaller in some chains than in others.
The price stated for the products at the different chains is an average of the prices in the stores surveyed.
Source: Matpriskollen
