Sproken
B2Swedish·30 cards

Food shopping: labels, chains and the talk around it

How Swedes talk about groceries — price comparisons, labels and origin marks, the chains and their reputations, food waste, and the small rituals of the Swedish supermarket.

Half empty shelves with assorted products in jars and containers in supermarket during quarantine
Photo: Roy Broo on Pexels
  1. 1

    jämförpriset

    the unit price (per kilo/litre)

    Tip: lit. 'the comparison price'; on every tag by law.

  2. 2

    priset har gått upp igen

    the price has gone up again

    Tip: 'gå upp' = rise; the 2023 refrain.

  3. 3

    matpriserna är helt galna

    the food prices are insane

    Tip: 'helt galen' = completely crazy.

  4. 4

    att jämföra priser mellan butiker

    to shop around

    Tip: 'jämföra' = compare.

  5. 5

    lågprisbutikerna

    the budget chains

    Tip: Willys, Lidl, City Gross.

  6. 6

    den dyra affären

    the posh supermarket

    Tip: Usually the local ICA Kvantum or an Urban Deli.

  7. 7

    butikens eget märke

    the store brand

    Tip: ICA Basic, Coop Xtra, Garant.

  8. 8

    ett medlemserbjudande

    a member offer

    Tip: 'erbjudande' = offer.

  9. 9

    veckans erbjudanden

    the weekly ad

    Tip: lit. 'the week's offers'; pushed in the app.

  10. 10

    svenskodlat

    Swedish-grown

    Tip: For veg; 'svenskt kött' for meat.

  11. 11

    Från Sverige-märkningen

    the 'From Sweden' label

    Tip: Blue and yellow; a big deal to Swedish shoppers.

  12. 12

    Nyckelhålet

    the keyhole (healthy choice) label

    Tip: The green keyhole on lower-fat, higher-fibre products.

  13. 13

    KRAV-märkt

    certified organic

    Tip: 'KRAV' is the Swedish organic label.

  14. 14

    närproducerat

    locally produced

    Tip: lit. 'near-produced'.

  15. 15

    säsongens grönsaker

    seasonal produce

    Tip: 'säsong' = season.

  16. 16

    vegofärsen

    the vegetarian mince

    Tip: 'vego' = veggie; a whole fridge of it.

  17. 17

    växtbaserad mjölk

    plant-based milk

    Tip: 'havredryck' (oat drink) legally can't be called milk.

  18. 18

    hyllan med nedsatt pris

    the reduced-price shelf

    Tip: 'nedsatt' = marked down; short-dated goods.

  19. 19

    varor med kort datum

    short-dated goods

    Tip: 'kort datum' = close to best-before.

  20. 20

    att minska matsvinnet

    to reduce food waste

    Tip: 'matsvinn' = food waste; a national obsession.

  21. 21

    bäst före är inte sista förbrukningsdag

    the best-before date is not a use-by date

    Tip: 'sista förbrukningsdag' = use by; the campaign slogan.

  22. 22

    lukta först

    smell it first

    Tip: 'lukta' = smell; the other half of the slogan.

  23. 23

    matkassen

    the meal-kit box

    Tip: Linas Matkasse and co; 'en matkasse'.

  24. 24

    att storhandla

    to do a big shop

    Tip: One verb for the weekly stock-up.

  25. 25

    att springa in och köpa en sak

    to pop in for one thing

    Tip: 'springa in' = pop in.

  26. 26

    att glömma inköpslistan hemma

    to forget the shopping list at home

    Tip: 'glömma' = forget.

  27. 27

    kassaköpen

    the checkout impulse buys

    Tip: The sweets by the till.

  28. 28

    affären stänger tio

    the store closes at ten

    Tip: 'stänga' = close; most big stores 07–22.

  29. 29

    närbutiken med den dyra mjölken

    the corner shop with the pricey milk

    Tip: Pressbyrån, 7-Eleven, the local 'jourbutik'.

  30. 30

    panten gick till välgörenhet

    the pant went to charity

    Tip: The machine's 'donate' button.