Every year, the Swede shows up with over five million liters of strawberries on midsummer tables. But this year, there is a risk that many of us will enjoy less of the goodies than usual.

It is a frostbite in Skåne in mid-May during the flowering that caused the great shortage of midsummer goblins. Prices have skyrocketed and another consequence could be that the strawberry cheat is increasing.

"It's a classic opportunity for those who want to cheat on the label," says Magnus Engstedt, carrier adviser at Bärfrämjandet.

Strawberries are a fresh product and so is the price, but according to Magnus Engstedt, the price can rise to just over SEK 80 a liter.

At the same time, a large number of strawberries are imported from, among others, Poland, Germany and Belgium. Waldemar Ibron, Controller at the Swedish Board of Agriculture, shares Magnus Ibron's view that the high price of Swedish strawberries can attract sellers to label imported berries as Swedish.

- The higher the price, the greater the tendency to notice. Then you earn more, he says.

This is how the cheat is counteracted

Each year, the National Board of Agriculture carries out more than 200 checks of strawberries so that its country of origin and quality class are shown in the packaging or sign at the point of sale. Checks are mainly carried out at squares, parking lots and roads.

- The cheat varies from year to year, depending on cultivation results, weather and price situation.

If there is no marking, Waldemar Ibron recommends that you first and foremost ask the seller where the strawberries come from and who has grown them.

- Do you think it is something that is not right so refrain from buying.

The experts can see if the berries are Swedish

If the National Board suspects cheating, the berries are sent for analysis. Then content is measured by certain isotopes that show whether the strawberries are Swedish-grown or not.

Is it possible to look at the strawberries if they are from Sweden?

- Some growers who work with it all year can see it, but most can not see it with the naked eye.