New requirements for fruit juices, jams, and honey
The Swedish Food Agency (Livsmedelsverket) is introducing new content and labelling requirements for food products such as jam, juice and honey.
The rules apply from June 14th and place higher demands on the content of these products, the agency has announced.
According to the new rules, honey, for example, may no longer be labelled with EU/non-EU country, but must be labelled with the name of the specific country it comes from.
In order for products with marmalade and jam to be labelled as such, they must contain at least 45 grams of fruit per 100 grams of product.
“The rules place higher demands on contents and labelling, which is good for consumers,” said Amanda Rosendahl, of the Swedish Food Agency.
There have already been EU-wide rules for how much fruit and berries a jam should contain, as well as what an origin label on a jar of honey should look like. The Swedish Food Agency has now adapted the rules to Swedish conditions.
Swedish vocabulary: innehållet ‒ content.
Swedes fined for throwing stones at Russia
Three Swedish citizens have been fined in Norway after throwing stones across the border to Russia.
"The police were notified of the border violation at 7:06 p.m. by Defence," task force leader Maria Nilsen of the Finnmark Police District told Norwegian newswire NTB.
The incident occurred on Thursday at the border with Russia in Grense Jakobselv in Finnmark, northern Norway. The three Swedes were fined 8,000 Norwegian kroner each for border violations.
The rules in the area along the Norwegian-Russian border are strict. It is prohibited to cross the border by land, sea or air, according to NTB.
It is also prohibited to have contact with people on the other side of the border, or to carry out threatening actions directed at or across the border.
Swedish vocabulary: gränsöverträdelser ‒ border violations.
Swedish Public Health Agency: No smartphone before 13 years old
Children should not get a smartphone before they are 13 years old, according to a new recommendation from the Swedish Public Health Agency (FHM).
According to the agency, 90 percent of all ten-year-olds in Sweden have a smartphone. The director general of the agency, Olivia Wigzell, has said she hopes this new recommendation will lead to a shift in norms.
"This can be seen as support for parents to have common guidance to point to," she said.
Swedish vocabulary: en normförflyttning ‒ a shift in norms.
Christian Democrats open to working with Social Democrats on abolishing regions
The current Minister of Health, Elisabet Lann of the Christian Democrats, has said her party could work with the Social Democrats – if they support her party's goal of abolishing regional governments in Sweden.
A nationalization of healthcare, or abolishing political governance in Sweden's 21 regions, has long been one of the Christian Democrats' most important election issues. The party believes doing this would make healthcare more equal and efficient.
But no such major reform has been achieved during the Tidö cooperation, even though the Sweden Democrats are on the same track as the Christian Democrats on the issue. With poll numbers looking poor for a second term for Tidö, the Christian Democrats are opening up to the other side.
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"I would welcome such broad cooperation. It would be needed," said Lann. "If the Social Democrats were able to do the internal work, and turn its regional politicians on the issue, it would be worth an incredible amount. Then we could get this done quite soon."
Lann was clear, however, that she does not want to see Social Democrat leader Magdalena Andersson as prime minister, and instead wants to continue to govern with the Tidö parties.
For her part, Andersson responded to the gesture from the Christian Democrats in the party leadership debate on Wednesday.
"I would be happy to cooperate with Ebba Busch on stable financing of healthcare throughout the country," she said.
Swedish vocabulary: vården ‒ healthcare.
Local Sweden Democrat politician expelled from party after flyer scandal
The party's group leader and opposition councillor in Hylte, a municipality in Halland and Småland, has been expelled from the Sweden Democrats, Sveriges Radio programme Ekot has reported.
"When I woke up today, I was a Sweden Democrat. Now I am without a party," wrote the politician, Stina Isaksson, in a post on her Facebook page.
Stina Isaksson and the Sweden Democrats in Hylte handed out flyers with the text "stop the social services taking children," in Swedish and Arabic.
The party board's decision, which Isaksson published on Facebook, states that it believes that the flyers are reminiscent of the so-called LVU campaign, when disinformation was spread about Swedish social services.
Swedish vocabulary: desinformation ‒ disinformation.
With reporting from TT
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