Heavy rainfall impacts potato farming, driving prices up in Sweden

Last summer’s heavy rainfall posed significant challenges for potato farmers, making it difficult to harvest potatoes from the saturated fields, leading to fears of spoilage. This excessive moisture has contributed to a rise in potato prices. Cucumbers also saw an 8% price increase in July, attributed to poor weather and crop yields earlier in the spring.

Overall, food prices in July rose by 0.2%, a modest increase on top of already high costs. Since January 2022, food prices have surged by 24%. As one industry expert noted, this spike has created a financial strain for consumers, forcing them to pay 25% more for their groceries, a burden not everyone can shoulder. Many items continue to feel overpriced despite some summer reductions; for instance, fish and seafood prices decreased by 0.4% in July, yet salmon is still 36% more expensive, and cod is up 51% compared to January 2022.

Baking chocolate has experienced one of the steepest price hikes, soaring nearly 16% in July alone, and costing 80% more than a year ago. Overall chocolate prices rose by 1.9% in July, with an annual increase of 11%. The factors behind these price surges include the ongoing war in Ukraine and rising demand for sweet treats in Asia. A chocolate master remarked that he has never witnessed such rapid increases in cocoa bean prices before.