Food has become more expensive and it hurts the wallet even when we buy just a few basic items.
In one year, the price increase for food in Sweden is over 20 percent - more than in the other Nordic countries.
In Sweden, a few large chains dominate the grocery trade, a so-called oligopoly market.
This increases the risk of prices being kept up, according to the Swedish Competition Authority.
- As a competition authority, we are always concerned if it is a market with few players and we see that prices are rising.
We want to see a market with many actors so that there is an opportunity for the consumer to switch companies if any actor raises the price, says Martin Bäckström, head of unit at the Competition Authority.
Investigate how the costs are distributed
Inflation affects all links in the food chain - from producer to consumer.
Why the price increase on food is higher in Sweden than in the other Nordic countries is unclear, but right now it is being investigated whether Swedish consumers have suffered from unreasonable price increases on food.
The Swedish Competition Authority wants to find out how the distribution of costs looks like in the various stages of the food chain, and whether customers have pulled too heavy a load.
- We have tasked researchers to look at where the costs have been taken out in the food chain, and if so, it has been passed on to consumers to a greater extent than was reasonable, says Martin Bäckström.
Still more expensive food
Customers in the country's grocery stores do not seem to be able to count on falling food prices in the future - prices will instead continue to rise, Ica, Coop and Axfood confirm for Dagens Nyheter.
Klas Balkow, CEO of Axfood with Hemköp and Willys, points out that the effects of the pandemic in the past year have been reinforced by the war in Ukraine.
- The suppliers wanted to be paid more because their inputs became more expensive, he tells DN.
- We will have continued high pressure for price increases from the suppliers and I don't see any slowdown in the near term.
Hopefully, the high inflation will subside towards the end of the year.
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Jennifer Södergren: "I think a little more waste-wise" - come along to the grocery store and hear how the customers reason.
Photo: Per Leandersson, Leo Rhenström/SVT