• Sweden edition
Society

Dyed pork scandal sinks Swedes' trust in meat

Published: 23 Nov 12 07:55 CET | Print version
Online: http://www.thelocal.se/44602/20121123/

Only half of Swedes trust the meat industry following recent revelations that pork was dyed red and sold as beef to hundreds of thousands of people.

"We see the same trend all over the country, not even one in two put trust into how meat is handled," analyst Jon Andersson of polling firm Sifo told the daily Svenska Dagbladet (SvD).

Women were more likely to be distrustful than men - 56 percent of female respondents to the survey lacked faith in the meat industry, while 47 percent of men said the same.

Sifo pointed out that women usually do the food shopping for their families.

A few years ago, polls showed that Swedes were quite trusting in comparison to their EU neighbours when it came to food.

Jan Bertoft, director of the Swedish Consumers' Association (Sveriges Konsumenter), thinks trust must be restored by beefing up inspection procedures for both wholesalers and retailers.

Most of the dyed meat out in the stores came from the Coop grocery store chain, but consumers have also reported in cases from Ica and Eurocash stores.

"I don't understand how a big and serious player like Coop didn't raise the alarm much earlier," Bertoft told SvD.

So far, meat wholesalers Heat, Barterinvest and CKA Chark have been reported for the scam.

They sold about 350,000 portions of fake-beef, according to SvD's calculations, much of which went out to restaurants.

The revelation sparked a political debate about who should be responsible for checking the supply chain.

At present, municipalities carry out inspections, but critics say the process should be centralized for greater oversight.

"It means you're left to question the quality of other products," said Bertoft.

"What is actually in that sausage?"

The Local/at
Follow The Local on Twitter

What do you think? Leave your comment below.

Your comments about this article:

The comments below have not been moderated in advance and are not produced by The Local unless clearly stated. Readers are responsible for the content of their own comments. Comments that breach our terms and conditions will be removed.

09:05 November 23, 2012 by Mr G
Scandal surely?
10:46 November 23, 2012 by nolikegohome
just wait until the Muslims and Jews of Sweden find out. Its already out on Twitter.
10:49 November 23, 2012 by Beavis
Can Jan Bertoft, director of the Swedish Consumers' Association get his sorry bottom down to upplands väsby. Hemshop- have bought meat there 5 times each time returning due to the fact that it was rotten(even maggots crawling once!) coop, constatly gone off meat and vegetables. ica, gone off fish,meat, bread and vegetables. They also seem to think its ok to sell chicken past its sell by date at 25% off!!! Its only a matter of time before someone gets seriously ill or dies from salmonele. Have watched the fish- it comes in on Tuesday and goes on display on the fish counter until Friday. Then it gets packed and put on the other fish counter for 2 weeks (at the same price!!) I am desgusted about the lack of standards in retailers (at least in Stockholm) and wonders if these consumers assosication people ever get out of their caves or are open to bribes or what?Or are the fines just not big enough. Any retailer intenionally seling bad meat should be forced to shut for a month.
11:50 November 23, 2012 by robban70226
beef.. pork... well i like both so i dont care
11:54 November 23, 2012 by Jlindt
If Swede's were that outraged they'd boycott Co-op and Ica and go protest...
12:13 November 23, 2012 by robban70226
@Jlindt

Get a life, not a big deal if you dont like it dont buy it, simple..
16:45 November 23, 2012 by yractualpatience
Sadly this doesn't surprise me. Having lived in Sweden I can honestly say the food for sale in the shops is not only very limited, but of very poor quality, frequently out of date and very expensive. I believe that Swedish supermarkets are stocked with food that the rest of Europe has refused because it is of such poor quality. The diet of the average Swede is abysmal and because most Swedes have never had the quality and range of food available elsewhere in Europe they have no concept of how their supermarkets are fleecing them. Furthermore because of Lagom and because they are brainwashed from birth into believing "we are the best in the world" ideology, they are an easy target for greedy and unprincipled capitalists.
17:40 November 23, 2012 by ciaron9000
First thing that struck me when I lived in Sweden was how bad the food that was for ordinary decent Swede's.Most of the food is controlled by 3 or 4 producers with no artisan food at all,everthing is massproduced and yet so expensive,good meat is next to impossible to find,the milk has a strange aftertaste,only one type of butter and apart from the bakeries food culture in Sweden is very poor,most produce is sold on price with a limited choice.

What really amazed me is that Swede's think that Swedish food is unique,well it is for all the wrong reasons.
18:58 November 23, 2012 by dizzymoe33
This is sad. If a person has an allergy to pork products and they are buying what they think if beef and they get sick or worse die from that allergy then there is a liability there. I don't understand why quality food products aren't available in Sweden especially the produce?
ADD YOUR COMMENT   (YOU MUST LOG IN OR REGISTER TO MAKE A COMMENT)
Today's headlines
Unrest in Stockholm
Parent patrols help quell Stockholm riots

Parent patrols help quell Stockholm riots

Parents and volunteers have been patrolling the streets of Stockholm's immigrant-heavy suburbs to help quell riots that have raged for almost a week, serving as a successful deterrent to troublemakers and winning praise from police. READ () »

Dad slams booze delivery to 10-year-old son

Express delivery firm DHL has been criticised for having handed over a load of alcohol ordered from Germany to a 10-year-old boy in southern Sweden who was home alone at the time. READ () »

Two cars collide as elk gives birth on road

Two cars collide as elk gives birth on road

Two cars collided on a road between Trollhättan and Vänersborg in western Sweden on Friday afternoon due to an elk having chosen the unusual spot to give birth to a calf. READ () »

Unrest in Stockholm
Stockholm riots spread west on sixth night

Stockholm riots spread west on sixth night

A sixth straight night of unrest blighted several Stockholm suburbs on Friday night, spreading briefly to the city of Örebro, 160 kilometres to the west. READ () »

Unrest in Stockholm
Stockholm's not burning

Stockholm's not burning

With international media swooping on the Stockholm riots from every angle, The Local's Oliver Gee explains why Stockholm is not burning, and how the story has been blown out of proportion. READ () »

Unrest in Stockholm
Stockholm riots: causes and consequences

Stockholm riots: causes and consequences

After five nights of rioting throughout the outskirts of Stockholm, many in Sweden and elsewhere are trying to make sense of it all. The Local spoke to a mix of commentators and local politicians to get their views. READ () »

Swedish firms 'clueless' about foreign graduates

Swedish firms 'clueless' about foreign graduates

As white-collar union Saco slammed Sweden for not helping well-educated foreigners into the labour market, The Local spoke to researcher Josefin Edström about the disconnect between foreign professionals and Swedish employers. READ () »

Unrest in Stockholm
US and UK issue travel warnings for Sweden

US and UK issue travel warnings for Sweden

The UK Foreign Office has issued a travel warning for Sweden after arsonists tore through several Stockholm suburbs, while Americans have been warned to stay out of the affected areas by their embassy. READ () »

More Society

 

RECEIVE OUR NEWSLETTER AND ALERTS
 

 

Highlights
DoToday
LIFESTYLE »
What's On:The Local's guide to upcoming attractions and events in Stockholm, Gothenburg and Malmö
www.finest.se
GALLERY »
People-watching May 20-23
Erik Bloom
LIFESTYLE »
Stockholm's ten best-kept secrets - revealed
Fredrik Sanberg/Scanpix (File)
OPINION »
'The future of freedom on the internet is at stake'
Peter Håkansson/Swedish Fashion Council
SOCIETY »
Fashion prize turns Rookies into players
La Neta
LIFESTYLE »
My Swedish Career: We talk to the founder of Stockholm's favourite Mexican restaurant chain - La Neta
Leif R Jansson/Scanpix
NATIONAL »
Riot police 'resorted to racial slurs' in Husby
Scanpix
SPORT »
Sweden win ice hockey world champs at home
Scanpix
SPORT »
Swedes sweep top French football awards
fastighetsbyrån.se
GALLERY »
Property of the Week: Check out this funky three-room apartment on the Stockholm island of Södermalm
Scanpix
GALLERY »
Sweden win Ice Hockey World Championships. See the celebrations in Stockholm
Scanpix
GALLERY »
Youths burn 100 cars in north Stockholm riots
Finest.se scanpix.se
GALLERY »
People-watching: Nightlife, Ice Hockey Gold celebrations, the royal family... You name it, this week's gallery has it
WikiCommons
BUSINESS & MONEY »
Solna voted best place to live in Sweden
Scanpix
TRAVEL »
Quiz - Think You Know Sweden? This week we head to one of Sweden's ten biggest towns. But which one?
Scanpix
LIFESTYLE »
Eurovision host: 'Not everyone has to like me'
Scanpix
LIFESTYLE »
Denmark wins Eurovision 2013 in Malmö
Paul Hansen/World Press Photo
SOCIETY »
Award-winning Swedish photographer cleared of manipulation
Scanpix
NATIONAL »
A Congolese-Swedish pastor explains the roots to recent cases of parents exorcising demons from their children in Sweden
File photo: AP
NATIONAL »
H&M backs Bangladesh building safety accord
Scanpix
GALLERY »
Eurovision: second semi-final entries
Screenshot: American Apparel
SOCIETY »
Swedes slam American Apparel over 'sexist' ads
Hasse Holmberg/Scanpix (File)
BUSINESS & MONEY »
Housing crunch forces more young Swedes to live with mum and dad
Asif Akbar/sxc.hu (File)
OPINION »
'Not all discrimination in Sweden is racism'
Lana Wimmer
GALLERY »
Hidden Stockholm Gems: Ulriksdal's Palace
Sex in Sweden: condoms optional - study
SOCIETY »
Sex in Sweden: condoms optional - study
AP (File)
POLITICS »
Russia 'lacks capacity' to attack Sweden: Reinfeldt
fastighetsbyrån.se
GALLERY »
Property of the Week: This week, we're looking inside a home from the 1700s just west of Stockholm. Complete with two cannons.
Scanpix (File)
OPINION »
JobTalk: Top ten tips for earning a higher salary in Sweden
Eddie Gee
LIFESTYLE »
Check out the back catalogue of all The Local's Swedes of the Week
Photo: The Local
SPONSORED ARTICLE
Stockholm International School - what’s in IT for students?

 

Latest news from The Local in Germany

More news from Germany at thelocal.de

Latest news from The Local in France

More news from France at thelocal.fr

Latest news from The Local in Norway

More news from Norway at thelocal.no

Latest news from The Local in Switzerland

More news from Switzerland at thelocal.ch

Search News


Register

Register now for:
> Free use of noticeboard
> Special discounts
> Weekly news roundup
> Unlimited use of discuss

REGISTER FOR FREE »


Blog Update: The Diplomatic Dispatch

23 May 09:23

REFLECTIONS OF A TWITTER VIRGIN…. »

"I confess to having been reluctant to embrace Twitter. But I confess myself a bit of a convert. The great TV critic Clive James once said about “Dallas”, “I came to mock but I stayed to pray”. I wouldn’t go that far, but I have found my first two weeks on Twitter (@hmapauljohnston) both fun and informative. It’s been..." READ »

Therapy in English
Expat counsellor & talk therapist offers counselling for stress, relationship issues, sexuality, culture adjustment & life coaching. Private & confidential. Stockholm or Skype. Contact me today! 08-559 22 636 or
CLICK HERE
Holiday Luxury Villa in Portugal
Casa Birgitta in Algarve, Portugal. Reduced price in best location. Private estate on white sand beach. All amenities included. Book here today! edward_george1@hotmail.com
The Local's new Marketplace
Find products and services that are specifically focused on English speakers living in Sweden!
FULL DETAILS
Counseling in English
Individuals & Couples - Stockholm Beth Rogerson PhD - Clinical, Marriage & Family Therapist
Click or call 08-5580 1266 now
Trade binary options
Create an account with Banc De Binary, the world’s most reputable binary options firm, and start cashing in today! You can start by practicing with our free $50,000 demo account.
www.bbinary.com