– Everything has become much more expensive. And when you have a minimum income and are single, it’s even more difficult, says Layne Mocliffe.
She is a single mother with two sons. I noticed that food prices have risen.
“I think a lot of food has become very expensive lately,” says Moklev.
She believes that switching to the food you need is a win-win situation.
-I get rid of things I don’t need. Then maybe I’ll take back the milk or the ground beef.
Things from the kitchen are exchanged in two large milkmaids.
Photo: Rosa Irene Villalobos/NRK
Line Mocliffe says many of her friends do the same.
– She says it’s much easier to exchange something than a 100 bill when the economic situation is tight.
Food cravings increase
Rita Lenane created a swap circle on Facebook four years ago. It quickly became popular. In recent months, I have noticed that more people are changing their food products.
– When we started, people would exchange bags of coffee or other things. Now I see that a lot of people want to switch to the food they need on a daily basis, says Linnane.
Many people exchange food for themselves at the Haugaland exchange circuit, where Rita Linnane runs the circuit.
Photo: Ron Strange Killingstad/NRK
At the site, clothes are exchanged for minced meat, household items for milk, and books for wheat flour.
– It may be quite obvious that high food prices are the reason, says Rita Lenane.
She encourages people to clean out their closets and replace what they no longer need.
It seems to blame the war
Prices of food and non-alcoholic beverages also increased More than 7 percent from September last year to September this year. This is what Statistics Norway figures show.
After the Russian invasion of Ukraine, there were significant cost increases across the entire food value chain, Virke wrote in an email to NRK.
“We share the concern about right-wing price increases,” writes grocery industry director Benedik Solom-West.
Benedik Solom West is the grocery branch manager of Verkee.
Image: work
He adds that in the grocery sector there is intense competition between store chains.
This has contributed to food prices rising less in Norway than in the EU last year, West writes.
It cannot say anything about future prices of groceries.
But in recent months, we have seen food inflation begin to slow. We hope that this trend will continue.
The government will clean it up
The government believes that it is important to have good competition in the grocery market to ensure the best possible choice for Norwegian consumers at the lowest possible price.
– That’s why we’re now implementing several historic actions in the grocery industry. Industry Minister Jean-Christian Vestre (AFP) says this will have an impact over time.
Among other things, they addressed the practice in which grocery store owners notify each other of price increases through the media. The industry has now changed its practices.
In addition, the government has strengthened the Norwegian Food Safety Authority and the Norwegian Competition Authority. They have also launched surveys to find out who benefits most from price increases.
-I feel sad when I hear about people in our country who struggle to make ends meet. Unfortunately, the whole part of the world is seeing strong cost growth, affecting those who have the least, Vestri says.
He believes it is important for the community to support him. Vestri points to new figures that recently showed that inflation has continued to decline.
– It’s good news for families and businesses, and shows that economic policy is working.
However, Vestri believes that the competitive situation in the grocery market is not good enough.
– There are still very few players and very big, which means Norwegian consumers may have a lower-priced choice at a higher price, says the minister.
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