Recently, police spokesperson Jonas Eronen warned that meat theft risks increasing when prices go up.

And as recently as September, a man was arrested in Uppsala on suspicion of over 20 meat thefts.

- Thefts have really escalated in the last year.

We have petty theft almost on a daily basis.

And the bigger thefts are sometime a month, says Andreas Selsborg, store manager at Willys in Uppsala, to UNT.

"Had taken over a hundred packets of butter"

Gustav Johansson, ICA dealer in Bromma outside Stockholm, recognizes himself.

- Absolutely, one thing we have noticed during late autumn is that there has been a movement.

People don't steal capital goods such as razors anymore, they steal meat, he says and continues:

- And it's not just expensive meat, but all meat.

It also concerns other goods.

We stopped a thief a week ago who had taken three boxes of regular butter, which is over a hundred packages of butter.

It has also become expensive.

"Ordinary families spend a lot of money"

Gustav Johansson says that those who steal come from many different walks of life.

- We see ordinary families who steal to increase their household coffers, but also more organized crime.

The economic situation with recession and high inflation is a clear connection to the wave of thefts, Gustav Johansson believes.

In order to overcome the problem, his store has, among other things, started alarming meat, and the most expensive meat is no longer out in the store but in the deli counter.

"Backpack full of meat"

There are both civilian and uniformed guards in the store, and in addition, a receipt or assistance from the staff is required to leave the store.

- It stops quite a few thieves who have their entire backpack full of meat.

We have made a large investment to be able to keep the goods.

It's not just Gustav Johansson who locks up his meat.

Meat is also locked up in other parts of the country.

Tranås newspaper reports, for example, that Lidl in Tranås has chosen to remove expensive meat from the fridges after several thefts during the autumn.

Örebro has also been affected by large meat thefts.