Large price differences for fruit and vegetables

Figures from Statistics Norway showed earlier this month that food prices rose by 2.1 per cent from May to June. The prices of potatoes in particular rose sharply by 12.6 per cent, which means that the potato price was a whopping 28.7 per cent above the price at the same time last year

Random samples NRK and The online newspaper have done shows that the prices are also high for other fruit and vegetables, and that there are significant differences in the prices at the big chains and local retailers.

The National Broadcaster collected the price per kilo of various fruits and vegetables at two Asian stores in Kristiansand and compared them with the prices at the online store Oda. On their shopping list, the goods were on average 38 per cent cheaper in the Asian stores.

On some items, such as lemons, squash and leeks, the price was almost twice as high at Oda as at the Asian stores.

Expensive tomatoes

The online newspaper has for its part looked at cherry tomatoes, where there are significant differences in the prices at Rema 1000 and Kiwi compared to the greengrocers in Oslo in Oslo.

Rema 1000 sells cherry tomatoes from Belgium for NOK 185 per kilo, but also Norwegian-produced ones for NOK 91.6 per kilo. Kiwi also has “cheap tomatoes” from First Price at NOK 91.6 a kilo.

The random sample at three local vegetable shops in Greenland shows that the kilo price here is 69.90 per kilo, for what, according to Nettavisen, are tomatoes that are equivalent to the most expensive ones at Rema.

The newspaper has also looked at the EU’s price database. It shows that the price from Belgian packaging companies is currently EUR 0.71 – or NOK 8.40. On top of this comes customs when the goods are imported to Norway. This is NOK 12.21 per kilo between 1 June and 10 July.

– Does not show quality differences

Rema 1000 says they do not recognize the purchase prices Nettavisen refers to. However, they will not disclose what they buy their tomatoes for, as this is competitively sensitive information.

– The graph shown does not take into account quality differences or costs incurred following production, such as handling, transport and customs. We therefore do not recognize ourselves in the purchase prices that are shown here, says Line Aarnes, category and purchasing director at Rema 1000.

In addition to quality, she also points out that Rema 1000’s tomatoes must be fully traceable and produced responsibly.

Oda replies to NRK that they match the prices of the other low-price chains, not individual, smaller fruit shops.

– The difference between shopping at Oda and in the fruit shops is durability and quality. Although Oda is an online grocery store, we actually have the shortest path from farm to table in Norway, because we do not have physical stores. The carrots come straight from the farmer to our warehouse and are sent straight out to the customers once more, says communications advisor Liselotte Lunde to NRK.