View Full Version : Swedish supermarkets
EnglishCath
22-11-2006, 15:50
I had this in mind a while ago but it came up again after the "out of date food" thread.
Which Swedish supermarkets do you like and dislike and why?
Our nearest supermarket is a decent sized Hemköp and I HATE it. They have some big problems with stock control and can often be out of the most basic items. The toiletries aisle is always half empty. Food is often out of date and the fruit and veg section has shitty choice and often every "unfresh" items. The stock control problem seems to be general to Hemköp and not just our local branch. There are 3 other Hemköps that I have been to in Göteborg and they are all the same shit.
AND Hemköp is expensive!!!!
But it is 2 mins walk from our apartment so it wins our business on the "can't be arsed to drive somewhere else and shop today" score.
When we have time and energy we drive to ICA Qvantum which is about 10 mins drive from our place. It has lots of choice, nice fruit and veg and is always fully stocked plus I find we get more for our money than at Hemköp.
Other smaller ICA stores are often good too I find.
The BEST is ICA Fokus but it is more expensive..... full of LOVELY things, huge and wonderfully stocked.
I have been to a few COOP Forum stores and some of them are nice with good stock but some are really rubbish.... seems to be down to the store managers I guess.
Which stores get your vote?
markisevil
22-11-2006, 15:52
We live across the road from a small independent fruit and vegetable shop, Fruktpågarna, and that is worth its weight in gold to li'l ol' veggie-Mark. They also have proper free-range eggs, with yolks the colour of the midsummer sun, and shells as freckled as a six-year-old.
So, yeah, mushroom omlettes rock. :rockon:
We have a cool bread shop near us, Il Panificio, selling preservative-free Italian-style handmade stone oven-baked bread. Yummy!
Our local Malmborgs (now ICA Malmborgs, and 50 years old) used to be dirty and messy. Nowadays, it's mostly clean, but uninspiring and poorly laid out. Plenty of Cola Light, though.
We have a Konsum nearby as well, but I only go there if we need something during the few hours Malmborgs is shut and they are not.
Our very local (2 min walk) Vi gets my vote. Its small but the stock is quite good and they arent gouging us with high prices. There are a few items we get elsewhere (cat litter, canned tomatoes, specialty stuff) but thats entirely down to the brand being a store brand. We buy locally for most stuff and hit the big ICA Maxi about once a month for those items mentioned previously. I try to shop on a need-only basis, and the local store makes that really easy. They've also just installed a bankomat and have a movie rental system that only costs 10kr for a dvd, and they have hundreds of new titles. Im very, very pleased with the service. They're small so the range of produce doesnt reach into many fancy things, but they have parnsips, sweet poatotes, and good fresh herbs. They definately get my vote (and my business).
Tidey
We hit the Coop here. It's large, fairly well stocked, small, but well kept produce and meat section, good prices, and self check out that we love!
I rarely hit the ICA or Hemköp in town, just unimpressed with them for various reasons!
By the way, how do you pronounce Coop? Like chicken coop, or like co-op, as in co-operative?
Gotta say that ICA Kvantum rocks, and the ICA Focus in Göteborg (across from Liseberg) is amazing even if a little more pricey than the other ICAs.
markisevil
22-11-2006, 16:04
By the way, how do you pronounce Coop? Like chicken coop, or like co-op, as in co-operative?
They say "coop" (as in chicken) in their ads, so I do the same.
Prince Madog
22-11-2006, 16:26
The local ICA is the prefered store. Unless we drive 20 (english) miles in one direction or 40 in the opposite one there's little other choice!
EnglishCath
22-11-2006, 16:40
Gotta say that ICA Kvantum rocks, and the ICA Focus in Göteborg (across from Liseberg) is amazing even if a little more pricey than the other ICAs.
Oops I misspelled Kvantum AND Focus.... doh!!
Of all the supermarkets in all the world nothing comes close to Tescos/Sainsbury/Waitrose and M&S food.
So I can't even be bothered to write about Swedish ones:p:
Of all the supermarkets in all the world nothing comes close to Tescos/Sainsbury/Waitrose and M&S food.
So I can't even be bothered to write about Swedish ones:p:
You know, our COOP her bought in some of those self-scanning devices from Waitrose.. still has the logo on it and everything. Makes me whimper a bit every time i see them. As if they are even CLOSE to being a Waitrose store! Hmph!
Tidey
tinykitty
22-11-2006, 17:08
Of all the supermarkets in all the world nothing comes close to Tescos/Sainsbury/Waitrose and M&S food.
So I can't even be bothered to write about Swedish ones:p:
:yeahthat:
I really like our local ICA Kvantum -- and plus, it's so close.
Here's something to make you all jealous.... they are opening a Lidl down the road from me! They are taking over..............!!!!!!!!!!!
There are 2 largish grocery stores in my area - an ICA and a Vi (they've now changed to Vinn). They will also be opening a new ICA MAXI right near the Vi in less than a week. There is also a Willys, but I won't go near the place cause they have problems with mice.
I tend to go to the ICA when making a larger grocery run (cause they have bagels, which I'm currently hooked on). I've stopped going to the Vi because they recently expanded the hell out of it. I don't know where anything is any more and I don't have the energy or time to look all over the place for stuff right now.
When making small scale purchases, I go to the ICA that's about 5 minutes from me. The staff is pleasant there and they have what I need.
EnglishCath
22-11-2006, 18:10
Of all the supermarkets in all the world nothing comes close to Tescos/Sainsbury/Waitrose and M&S food.
So I can't even be bothered to write about Swedish ones:p:
You know, our COOP her bought in some of those self-scanning devices from Waitrose.. still has the logo on it and everything. Makes me whimper a bit every time i see them. As if they are even CLOSE to being a Waitrose store! Hmph!
Tidey
:yeahthat:
Yes and the reason why I named the thread "Swedish Supermarkets" was because the whole "supermarkets here are so shit compared to UK/US/South Africa/everywhere else" discussion has already been done to death.
You live here, you shop here.... surely you must have some preferences/opinions about the different supermarkets HERE.....
hrillo666
22-11-2006, 18:27
They say "coop" (as in chicken) in their ads, so I do the same.
Yup. Coop was first used as the name of the distribution company within the KF company. I beleive that was originally derived from 'Kooperativa' which was the name of the shops in the KF chain early on. At the time that was abbreviated and pronounced "Kåppra" by regular folks. Then they changed their profile and became Domus (with small shops called Servus instead) and so they have changed logos and names until we've ended up with this Coop thing.
Ok teacher I will elaborate!
Swedish supermarkets have improved considerably over the years. I remember Coop /OBS before their revamps and they were just plain depressing places to go. Stark decor, aisles of tinned tomatoes/mushrooms/corn. Rows of refrigerated "falukorv" and the like. Not forgetting the love of potatis sallad.
And you are forever checking for freshness.
I have worked with executive managers at ICA a few years back telling about their plans to go forward and beyond with supermarkets... but as far as I am concerned I am still waiting.
I actually got the chance to tell them to their faces about how awful I thought their stores were!
Here in Kristianstad we have them all, Dormus, ICA, Maxi, Willy’s Konsum, Lidl and the best looking checkout girls are in Willy’s and Maxi. (Got to get the day right)
Oh the food topic, Maxi is decent but I tend to visit most of them for specific items as some do lamb, (Welshman after all) others have Heinz baked beans, HP sauce etc.
Fresh fruit and veg are best bought from the Chinese at their open air stall in the square.
In the decade or so I’ve been a visitor/resident here, they have come on leaps and bounds.
We head off to City Gross once in every two months or so to stock up on cleaning stuff and we shop big then. As we need things monthly or weekly we go to Billema. Both these stores are reasonably priced with good stocks and pretty clean. We sometimes buy from the ICA Kvantum in Eslöv but I have found that they are pretty expensive comparing to the other stores we go to.
Netto - I stay away from. The store is always dirty, the prices are never right and they are just ewwwww horrid!
Lidle - we boycott them because they refused to to build user friendly stores for handicapped people.
My biggest peev about shopping in Sweden is that it is often difficult to find the price code tag that matches with the food in the freezers. I often take something thinking it is X amount of kronors because that is what was displayed above the food and then when I pay it lands up being XX amount. (The display usually says what the food is under it and that´s why I take it, I hate having to read every damn thing before I decide what I am taking).
Lidle - we boycott them because they refused to to build user friendly stores for handicapped people.
Also:
a) the one near us doesn't have any toilets for use by the public;
b) the food quality is YUCK.
Stay away.
tinykitty
22-11-2006, 19:30
Well, if I have to choose, I quite like AG Favor, which I believe is only in Skåne. They have fresher veggies than most and prices are not too bad. The problem is that it's a drag to get to, either a half hour walk or two buses, so I mostly only go when I have parcels to pick up (our post gets allocated there as it's the nearest post office as the crow flies). The other advantage is that there is an ICA in the same building, so if one is sold out of something, the other probably has it. I also don't mind the Konsum here in Lund since they revamped it, and it's only a short walk from my office. I sometimes shop at the ICA Malmborgs as hubby likes it, but I can't say I'm that keen on it. For small shopping like bread and juice there is a Matöppet a 5-10 minute walk from where we live, which is reasonable for a smaller supermarket and I occasionally pick up a few things at Hemköp as I often go there to post parcels to my customers, but I don't like it.
When I lived in town my local supermarket was ICA Focus which, having just moved to sweden, I thought was distinctly average as supermarkets go, but now think is paradise on earth. My local supermarket now is a Bonum (owned by ICA??) in downtown Gråbo. It's pretty small but has most of the things I want. In keeping with the rest of downtown Gråbo it has that bleak, grey, municipal feel about it and it reminds of a revolting little small-town Asda near my parents in the 70s. I'm hoping in about 30 years time it will have cheered up a bit. The fruit and veg section contains a rather sorry looking selection of wrinkled seasonal produce - if I'm looking for something a bit more fancy, like grapes, I'll go further afield. My next nearest supermarket is an ICA Kvantum and that's fine although it's not big enough for my liking and, inexplicably, do not stock chocolate digestives, whereas Bonum does. I like the ICA Maxi which is on the way out of town to Ikea and the massive Koop (possibly at Bäckebol, can't remember) where I can one-stop-shop till I drop.
The swedish-english supermarket debate is a contentious one in this household and now a no-go area after my husband made the ridiculous annoucement that one could not get fresh vegetables in Tesco on a Sunday. We lived very close to a Tesco Extra in Twickenham which he (still) complains bitterly about (it's TOO BIG and BADLY SET OUT) - didn't stop him going there everyday for pies and guiness though - he seemed to know where those items were located alright.
My favorite store is 'My ICA'. That is what I call the one closest to me and all my friends know it by that. Whenever they are over and see something and ask where it is from, I say, 'My ICA'. It is just down the bike trail from us and very well stocked. They also carry diet pepsi, Ritz, Oregon Cranberry juice, Ben and Jerrys, and is the cleanest and most organized store around. People around Örebro will come from miles to go to this one. They also do tons of home deliveries and are very friendly. My son was in one time to buy a drink and something else and had misplaced his money. He didn't figure it out until he was at the register. The clerk paid for him. He went back later and gave her the money.
I think my biggest issue is that Swedish supermarkets, all of them, don't offer enough products that stray from the basic nordic dairy, pork and sausage products, beef and root veggie diet.
I try to buy as much food as I can on special, but it gets a bit frustrating when it's always the same stuff on special! Falukorv, snabbmacaroner, kässler, etc, etc.
I would have to say, though, that I've seen huge improvements in recent years.
When I first moved here, it was actually hard to find fresh chicken. The stores have improved by leaps and bounds when it comes to chicken. It was also near impossible to find Italian products. No olive oil from Italy. That's changed enormously. Thank goodness.
But, at the same time that I say this, it's not really all that good for our planet to be flying food here and there and everywhere. My grocery basket today had oranges from Spain, tomatoes from Holland, snow peas from Africa, etc, etc.
Yet, despite knowing this, I think I would not survive here on strictly locally produced fruits and vegetables!
EnglishCath
22-11-2006, 20:44
I thought it was interesting that the tomatoes from Holland were cheaper in Ica Kvantum than the ones from Sweden.
I love Lidl.
We eat a lot of their frozen food, their frozen chicken nuggets are among some of the best I've eaten, their pizzas are pretty decent, and their buffalo wings are good, as well.
Their cheese doodles rock, and the little teddy bear face looking chips remind me of Munchos back in the states.
They have great snacks, hardbread, and fake fruit loops, and we tend to do the Easter Bunny and Santa's candy shopping there, as well. We also hit their produce aisle, as it tends to have a little more variety than the local stores as far as things a little more exotic. I also get sugar and flour there, noodles and pasta, and taco/Mexican food items.
Our Lidl has let both Hanna and I use their toilets, just needed to ask, has wide open aisles that I can't see being a problem for ANYONE, handicapped or not, and seems to keep their help a long time, telling me that they can't be bad to work for.
Lidl has improved!
it's not really all that good for our planet to be flying food here and there and everywhere. My grocery basket today had oranges from Spain, tomatoes from Holland, snow peas from Africa, etc, etc.
I read an article a couple of days ago, even when counting for the transportation, it is better for the environment to buy tomatoes grown in warmer countries than the Swedish grown ones, since the energy usage growing them is less. Except summer grown tomatoes maybe, if they don't have to use additional heat...
"En jämförelse mellan svenskodlade tomater (66MJ) och
frilandsodlade, fraktade från Sydeuropa (5,4MJ) visar att tranporten är mindre
energikrävande."
http://www.ekocentrum.info/files/Energiberakning.pdf
Myself, I prefer ICA - had a great store right around the corner where I lived. The quality of food was decent.
tristessa
23-11-2006, 02:46
I like ICA for the basics, and shop little immigrant grocery stores (the ones where you can't read most of the labels) for everything else. Kista Grossen across from the Galleria is fantastic, as is the Oriental Livs store in Husby Centrum. You can get all sorts of things I had no idea existed in Sweden, not to mention the best black cherry preserves I've found anywhere. Also good for buying spices in bulk.
Back to Gothenburg and EnglishCath's question...
There's big Willy's (red and black) and little Willy's (orange). We have a little Willy's around the corner from our flat so it's good for those things we unexpectedly find we're out of. Down the road in Molndal, there's a big Willy's and an ICA Maxi (red) right across the street from each other. The ICA Maxi is a big, bright, modern, "American style" supermarket that sells everything, including clothing, school supplies, electronics, hardware, etc. But it's really expensive, especially meats. The big Willy's isn't as big or bright or modern, but the prices are much, much better. The ICA Forum (red and grey) near Liseberg has a few American products from time to time so we go there sometimes, but it's generally a hit-or-miss proposition. The little Netto's (yellow and black) on the other side of Liseberg has good prices but they're so small, it's hardly worth making a stop there because you'll just have to go to another store also to find the rest of the items on your shopping list.
Does anyone know if there's a Lidl (colors?) in Gothenburg?
EnglishCath
23-11-2006, 10:43
Yes there are a few Lidl's in or around Göteborg.
caitlinn
23-11-2006, 11:02
My favorite is ICA Malmborgs. Really good quality. Especially meat, fruit/veg, bread, etc. Not cheap though... and I think it's only found in Malmö/Lund.
We also like ICA Maxi. Big, good selection, good produce....
Of the discount supermarkets, Willys is by far the best! I'm not a big fan at all of Netto or Lidl. Our closest supermarket is a Netto, about a three minute walk away. I set myself the challenge of buying lunch for myself there. It was really hard - but I guess I'm just fussy! Also got put off by the number of flies in the fruit and veg. Ewwwh!
Caitlinn
Oh god.... I'm such a supermarket FREAK!! My ex thought I was crazy with the way I talked about and compared the supermarkets back home (btw, Harris Teeter is the best in North Carolina if you ever visit! ;) )
For me, here in Ljungby, I love my ICA Maxi and the Stor Hemköp. The Hemköp is closer and I buy a lot there. They've done some re-arranging and updating in the last few months and I think its a pretty decent store. I find that they have a great health food isle and also more "exotic" food (read American! lol.....). The Maxi here is brand spanking new (it was a Kvantum) and they totally remodelled. So, everything is clean and fresh. On average, I think Hemköp and ICA are about the same prise wise for little shops, but for the BIG shop, I definitely go to ICA. With the ICA card you can get some decent bargains! For produce, I think ICA has a better variety and quality, BUT the Hemköp seems to be friendly with the local farmers and you can sometimes get heads of lettuce for only 1 kr, or apples and bananas for less than 10 kr a kilo. :eek:
NewBlueVim
23-11-2006, 15:07
I have a bizarre love for supermarkets that nobody understands... and could talk about them for hours...
I don't know why Hemköp gets such a bad rap. I think the general quality, selection and prices of stores must depend on their management. The Hemköp I go to has good prices (better than other Hemköps even) and they're always restocking things that aren't even gone. I also like the Hemköp because they're far less cluttered than some other stores (read: ICA Malmborgs).
I have to admit... some of the Malmborgs (aka Kvantum) are amazing, however. They have fabulous selection and quality but are a bit pricey. Such as the one next to the train station in Lund and the one at Caroli City in Malmö. The one near me, however... doesn't seem very clean... is amazingly cramped... and I always get lost in their confusing isles. Their selection is pretty poor too.
I have to say I'm unimpressed by Coop... It's usually expensive and nothing special. They seem to have closed most of the Konsums here in favor of Coop Nära and Forums which are a pain to get to. The ICA Maxi here just has a small selection but a LOT of it!
But like I said... I think it mostly has to do with management and it can be best seen with the discount stores. The Netto near me just sells plastic crap... but the one in Lugnet has a nice, basic selection and keeps things in stock. The east side Willy:s is huge and clean and has everything but the one on the west side in Limhamn is cluttered and depressing.
Lidl is disgusting, Mouse. On all levels. And their food is not only suspicious but horribly unhealthy. I really urge you to not allow your loved ones to digest their junk.
I, too, love and adore supermarket, Vimboy. Within a 2 km or so radius of my home, there are many. One of the advantages of where I live. Even straight-as-can-be Ush commented this weekend on the size and variety of the shops here.
There are coop shops: a Coop Konsum, Coop Nära, and (for by Swedish standards) the massive Coop Forum (which is currently being enlarged).
In the Axfood family, we have: a lovely, big, clean Willy:s, a horrid Willy:s Hemma, and the dreadful Hemköp in central Sundbyberg, next to Åhléns of course. Sundbyberg's Hemköp was once rated as the most expensive single branch of any supermarket chain in Sweden.
In terms of ICA, there is a brand new and very large ICA Maxi, in addition to the ICA Supermarket and an ICA Nära. A very large City Gross opened next door to Willy:s and Martin Olsson a couple of days ago. In the old Pripps building, of all places.
I used them all, frequently, and know them well. I like to buy certain things from certain shops and -based on my list- will go to the one that best covers my needs. I avoid the costly Hemköp though. I am also less inclined to shop at ICA shops, as they are more than half Dutch-owned and, given the option, would prefer to not support their economy.
I miss Malmborgs in Malmö. I would like to have a Netto nearby -they are scarce in Stockholm. Although you can not ever be sure of getting the same thing again, their business model means you get superb prices.
if you're lucky Mouse, you might meet a certain string-loving interweb-celeb who ALSO loves Lidl.
http://www.string-emil.de/Seiten/Supermarkt_2/string-emil-1570.JPG
markisevil
23-11-2006, 16:10
I miss Malmborgs in Malmö.
You don't need to miss it any more. Malmborgs was bought by your favourite half-Dutch chain and is now known as ICA Malmborgs (or, on even bigger signs, ICA Kvantum Malmborgs). :sly:
Nope, can't convince me. The chicken nuggets are all white meat and good, the hardbread is Swedish branded, as is the flour and sugar and the prices are a ton less!
Not giving up my monthly Lidl run! Common sense shopping!
At least not unless String Emil shows up, then I'm outta there!
Frozen chicken nuggets are unhealthy things, period! Flour, sugar and whatnot. That being part of my point: Lidl do not stock healthy, nutritious options very often. Their veg are scary! I doubt the Schwarzfamily who owns the chain (they being amongst the richest families in Europe) dares shop there.
Beyond that, they have appalling company culture and consistently conduct themselves with scant regard for ethics. I am not one to whine about big companies - indeed, contrary to most peoples' opinions, I think the likes of McDonalds are actually superb organisations. However, Lidl's corporate governance and community responsibility track records are a case study in what not to do (quite the opposite of McDonalds, actually).
My conscience does not afford me the chance to support them. Lidl = Evil.
My bank account requires that I support them....
Nic, I take it you've never lived really "poor." For some families...well... you just gotta do what you gotta do. I'm not going to pay full price for the same goods that I can get at Lidl for less. We're a family of 4 living on around 22k a month after taxes. We're not in the poor house, but it does require that we are careful with things.
I get decent produce, a lot of time it is the same exact produce that Coop sells, just less, and a lot of times I find other things like strawberries and melon at Lidl that I can't get at the larger stores.
Trust me, we don't survive on Lidl. We just supplement with them :)
Tonight's dinner is oven baked chicken with veggies and rice... see, nice and healthy and aside from the rice coming from Lidl, nothing else did!
Thanks for being concerned, though! The chicken nuggets are just a fast snack when needed :)
You do things a bit different when you're not at the top of the food chain, so to speak, when it comes to money. :)
For those with deep pockets and throats (?) I have to mention the absolute greatest supermarket I have ever set foot in.
NOTHING compares.
Unfortunately, these stores are situated in the S. California area:
http://re3.mm-a4.yimg.com/image/1305440104
I worked at the Gelson's Century City/L.A. store and the quality and assortment of EVERYTHING is UNbelievable. They also have stores in Santa Barbara and the Palm Springs (Rancho Mirage) areas.
Try it (if you have the deep pockets).
You'll like it.
I used to go to the Gelsons in Newport Beach. Now it is City Gross and ICA Maxi for me....how the mighty have fallen.
When I was about 13 my mom worked for a gourmet grocery store in the Rice/Westheimer area of Houston, Jamail's Groceries.
I loved it there, all the exotic things, the produce department had people that you told what you wanted, how ripe and how much and they hand picked it for you and bagged and weighed it and had you approve it for you, you could call in your order and it would be picked and delivered, they had caviar and cuts of meat that were done there and exotic and the BEST candies that you couldn't get anywhere else!
Wonderful place!
A little excerpt from an article about them:
In the full-service produce department, 15 clerks wait on customers, Jamail noted, adding that 22 butchers cut and wrap meat to order. The store carries 70 types of rice, more than 80 kinds of vinegar and 250 jellies and jams. ...
Mouse, a take-home income of 22 000:- is far from low, my dear.
I am far from wealthy and am very price conscious - I love, love, love brgains and getting stuff cheap. There is no status attached to where one buys food, I don't think.
Lidl markets itself as exceptionally cheap, but it is not really true. Especially not true when you consider the poor quality of their products - most certainly their frozen goods. In any event, you can see a comparison here (http://www.dn.se/content/1/c6/48/44/45/matkasse.pdf)(warning: pdf).
If you wish to save money on grocery bills, I suggest you go to the larger chains and do so infrequently. Once or twice a month, buying what you need then. Then supplement with bread and milk and such, which is needed more regularly. You'll then use what you have and save a great deal of dosh.
Also, avoid frozen foods. Not only is processed food frightfully costly, it is most often horribly unhealthy and we pay for this -big time- in the long run
José Maria
23-11-2006, 17:14
Even straight-as-can-be Ush commented this weekend on the size and variety of the shops here.
Big Willys!
Mouse, a take-home income of 22 000:- is far from low, my dear.
I am far from wealthy and am very price conscious - I love, love, love brgains and getting stuff cheap. There is no status attached to where one buys food, I don't think.
Lidl markets itself as exceptionally cheap, but it is not really true. Especially not true when you consider the poor quality of their products - most certainly their frozen goods. In any event, you can see a comparison here (http://www.dn.se/content/1/c6/48/44/45/matkasse.pdf)(warning: pdf).
If you wish to save money on grocery bills, I suggest you go to the larger chains and do so infrequently. Once or twice a month, buying what you need then. Then supplement with bread and milk and such, which is needed more regularly. You'll then use what you have and save a great deal of dosh.
Also, avoid frozen foods. Not only is processed food frightfully costly, it is most often horribly unhealthy and we pay for this -big time- in the long run
Yes, 22k after tax is quite a respectable amount, a lot will depend on the size of your mortgage/rent + other fixed costs of course.
You've lost me there, though, Nic, the linked file shows that Lidl are cheapest and FWIW their Chicken Nuggets really are rather good. No adult person would buy them for personal consumption, obviously, but for party catering for kids they fill a need and actually resemble chicken unlike other more expensive options. Based on price v's quality Lidl do rather well.
That 22k is for a family of 4 and includes barnbidrag and csn. I only get CSN during the schoolyear.
We do ok on it, though, just have to be a little careful and spend wisely. We do do one big grocery run a month, splitting it between Lidl, ÖoB and Coop. I buy meat as it comes on sale and also short dated cheap meat that goes directly to the freezer! :)
Nic, the linked file shows that Lidl are cheapest
But not outrageously so. I reckon that an extra hundred or two per month is well worth it in avoiding Lidl and in procuring better quality.
Mostly ICA Kvantum, but we do sometimes go over Coop Forum because they have a bigger selection.
As far as Lidl's goes... We don't have those up here yet, and if they did, I wouldn't go anywhere near one. My mother-in-law will often shop there back in Denmark, and we refuse to eat with her if anything she bought was purchased there. We go out and stock the house with foods from Brugsen first, then we eat. :p:
But Nic, how are things like flour, hardbread, sugar and Old El Paso products purchased for less at Lidl poorer in quality to the exact same brand item purchased at Coop for a higher price?
It all adds up.
EnglishCath
23-11-2006, 19:19
What does it cost in petrol to drive to numurous different stores to search out bargains?
Does it really work out cheaper in the end?
I don't know about other folks, but our Coop, ICA Kvantum, ÖoB and Lidl are all in the same area. The Lidl is maybe a km at the most from the other 4, which are in the same shopping center (E-Center), so for us, there's no real extra cost involved.
http://img55.imageshack.us/img55/261/lidlks0.jpg
I look at all the supermarket flyers every week, and quite honestly, nobody has a monopoly on cheap prices ALL the time. ICA MAXI in my neighborhood had lamp timers for 19:90, ICA quantum had them for 29:90 and the fact is that if you buy them off season, you can pay up to 79SK for those things!
I shop at all of them: Coop (rhymes with poop):D , ICA quantum, Maxi, Vinn, but I won't set my foot in Willy's up around these parts because, as Tristessa mentioned, they have mice.
I think the supermarket game is to just learn what each place offers the best of and go with that. I haven't found that my ICA quantum has better beef than anywhere else, on the contrary, it's often tough as a boot, even if you buy better cuts. And, ICA in general is currently annoying me to no end as they are pushing all the other brands off their shelves and only offering ICA brand products. :mad:
I pretty much go all over and am a fickle shopper who is not loyal to any store. I like some of the meat bargains at coop, but some of their selections are no selection at all: endless shelves of Swedish pasta and I won't buy Swedish pasta, period. I like Vinn because it makes a point of offering a variety of name brands, but their prices are nothing special....even though city dwellers praise the various "Vi" stores to the sky. Does nothing for me.
Maxi is ICA quantum with somewhat lower prices, but rather than a greater selection, it is just the same ICA quantum squared. MORE boxes of snabb macaroner. :D
Kungsörnen is the best pasta out there! Especially the fullkorn version.
callie-girl
24-11-2006, 05:18
I had to really think about this. In my little corner of Sweden, Coop and and a small ICA are within the block to the south. Lidl is a couple of kilometers east, and Willys and a large ICA a few kilometers west. Plus, there is a Konsum a few blocks to the north. So I have choices.
I find the local Coop to be poorly laid out, but with reasonable shopping hours. I generally avoid their fresh meat, it doesn't look good. I like the bread selection, even at the end of the day, but I get so frustrated in that store because of the layout.
The local small ICA has the best friendliness of staff. I buy bacon here almost exclusively. Produce has to be carefully watched - it seems weak. It's a small store and has a few choices of each item, so there isn't really a good point to doing a months' worth of shopping there, but this is the alternate to the post office when picking up letters and packages, and their staff is truly friendly and I get smiles and greetings and help when needed.
Big ICA is my favorite - probably a throwback to American-sized stores. I find the produce section to be well-stocked and I've not had a single complaint in that area. The meats look best in this store, though I will purchase meat at the little ICA as well. Several rows of choices, larger selections and a wider layout makes it feel like I'm not walking over every other person in the store when I reach for a box of pasta.
Willy's recently moved to a larger location and in truth, just before leaving for the states, that's where we shopped and did *not* go to another store to pick up specific items. I'm still getting used to the store, have only been in there twice. I'm impressed with the dairy and produce sections - well-chilled and with room for additional choices once they truly get up and running. I like the selections of deli meats but here we go again with layout. I do *not* like wandering in zig-zags to find the checkouts and by the time I get to the checkout, I'm completely turned around and feel as though I'm coming out at least one compass point from where I expected. Confusing store, won't do it alone, but with a buddy system and a good list we might be able to manage.
Lidl has very little that interests me but the few items I want I can only get there, not at the other stores. I save it as a treat and go there when JT and I are looking for taking a long walk for no reason. On the way there and a slightly different track home, we can stop at a couple of markets run by immigrants that have other interesting items we dont' see often.
We go to the Konsum on the north side when we're out wandering that direction. Only been in three times. Very small, the people inside seem to know their regular customers and are not afraid of strangers. Very small and not much selection. Can't do a weekly run in there, they simply don't have enough stuff.
Netto sent an annoucement card in the mail yesterday; evidently they are opening up near here as well. I wasn't impressed with the Netto we went to in Stockholm, but perhaps they'll have a little more floor space somewhere here.
Thanks, Cath - I really had to think about this!
we do our shopping based on how much we will buy....for the daily things like milk, bread and what not we go to the local "mini" coop or Ica. if we need diapers we usually go to Coop since they have a better discount if you buy 100kr in other products ICA is 150kr to get the same discount.
when we do out big monthly shopping we drive 40km to the ICA maxi not because its cheaper but because they offer more variety....on the way home we stop by Lidhl for diet coke and coke...haven't found a cheaper soda that taste decent...its like 40kr for 12 liters..regular coke is around 15kr for 1.5liters.
"What does it cost in petrol to drive to numurous different stores to search out bargains? Does it really work out cheaper in the end"
Yes if you are spending up around 2500kr on food then yes its worth the gas money to go to the cheaper stores...but if you are just getting small things for 200-500 then no.
PrisXtra Hallonbergen and Kistagrossen (there's another Kistagrossen in Spånga Centrum for those of you who didn't know. It's nearly as good as the original).
PrisXtra rocks. I can't stand sleek, white and well-lit Tesco-ish supermarkets and the likes. Give me pallets on the floor any day!
Good value for money, no f-ing in-store branded products and a very good selection of produce and foods from different parts of the world.
Wild Rover
24-11-2006, 08:49
We avoid Lidl completely - lesser quality in their fruits and veggies mean NOT AS MANY VITAMINS in them! They treat their employees horrible - not giving them enough hours to work full time and get extra benefits, etc... Even their milk has a lower quantity of nutrients in it. I researched this extensively after going to a conference in which it was mentioned how bad Lidl and Willy's were for us as far as food consumption and the economy in general. Everything I found in the weeks after supported what this speaker said.
By supporting Lidl and Willy's, one risks the regular stores and smaller stores closing and the only ones left are the high priced high quality and the low priced low quality. The little stores in the middle of town close down, no more choice or ease of shopping, all markets end up in one place.
So far since Willy's and Lidl opened in our town, 5 smaller markets have closed. This means that the little old people in the middle of town have to take the bus now to get their food, whether they go to Willy's, Lidl, or Kvantum.
Kvantum and Prix are the only stores we go to as the others in the area are Ldil and Willy's.
The packaging may be the same, however the contents are not! The items found at the lower price stores that may appear to be the same at the higher price are different. Compare the bags, there are slight differences.
You really do pay for what you get. We save money by reading the food adverts.
Wild Rover
24-11-2006, 08:52
p.s. smae thing is happening with the lower price gas chains. They are causing the regulars to go out of business, leaving the smaller towns without the garage abilities at OK, the convenient store of statoil or OK, etc. The lower price, no service is not good for the little towns. They drive away business and drive up the prices when they get their monopoly.
how are things like flour, hardbread, sugar
How much do these 'premium' products cost in a real supermarket? Cheap as chips - and items of such insignificant cost, that they have no real impact on a family's budget. If you were to buy them all at half price, you'd probably save a whopping 3;-
Lidl use them in the classic loss-leading tactic. Offer one or two proper items at a certain price, to entice people into their shops. They swallow the loss incurred on these products, as they know that once folk are through the door, they will burn real money on their high-margin products.
Seems to have worked a charm with you:
We eat a lot of their frozen food, their frozen chicken nuggets ... their pizzas ... their buffalo wings... their cheese doodles...little teddy bear face looking chips ....they have great snacks.... and fake fruit loops.... candy
If they discounted their in-house goods by 90%, they would still be a rip-off. Appalling quality that just barely scrapes by EU requirements and the very definition of bad health.
Sorry, but even brushing ethics aside, I cannot afford to stomach Lidl.
A Lidl is being built s few blocks away on Sveavägen (Stockholm) and I was wondering what all the fuss was about. It looks to easliy be the biggest shop around here (until you get to the Hemköp under Åhlens). I guess I won't go there. Too far away anyway.
There is a Coop at the end of the block, and an ICA two blocks from that. I don't really care where I go; sorry, but Swedish supermarkets are all the same to me. I buy my specialty produce at NK or saluhalls (Östermalm or Hörtorget) as well as meats or other specialty items (corn tortillas, spices, nuts, etc.) so when it comes to staples like onions, apples, flour, etc., it really doesn't matter. I won't touch the Netto on Sveavägen with a ten-foot pole. I desperately miss Whole Foods (http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/).
Incidently, shopping at these places isn't expensive. It is well-known that buying pre-packaged foods with excessive sugars and preservatives is not only horrendous for your health, but expensive as well. Skip the nuggets, buy some chicken, roll pieces in ground cornflakes (or even better, Japanese breadcrumbs) mixed with a bit of garlic salt, onion powder, and pepper, bake in the oven. Much healthier. Nic is alreay saying this much better than I could though.
There is a Coop at the end of the block, and an ICA two blocks from that.
ICA Baronen - superb fresh fish there. I really miss living in that neighbourhood.
You're forgetting that freaky, funky place adjacent to your ho'ing corner. Odeng/Roslagsg. Weird place!
PrisXtra Hallonbergen
Forgot about that one. Next to Mio?
Tell me more about Kistagrossen, please.
A drive up to Tensta and Rinkeby is worth it, too. The immigrant shops and the markets are divine and very affordable.
Tell me more about Kistagrossen, please.
Um, er, duh (http://www.kistagrossen.com/)! (this new Internet and google thing are quite marvellous!).
markisevil
24-11-2006, 11:13
Um, er, duh (http://www.kistagrossen.com/)! (this new Internet and google thing are quite marvellous!).
I wouldn't believe everything (maybe not even anything) you read online... how do you know that website isn't giving you a virus and stealing your identity and buying stuff with your credit card? :sly:
ICA Baronen - superb fresh fish there. I really miss living in that neighbourhood.
You're forgetting that freaky, funky place adjacent to your ho'ing corner. Odeng/Roslagsg. Weird place!
Baronen, yep, very good fresh fish. I still haven't caught onto the individual naming of chain supermarkets, although I really should since it clears up so much confusion. In the US, we always just said, "Safeway", followed by a long diatribe on its location, followed by more confusion since I am terrible at directions, followed by the other party just giving up. It's worse here.
The freaky, funky place has been closed down (first a Spar Livs and then a Nära Deg) and is under renovation again, promising to emerge as a new and wonderful food shop. They are actually doing construction this time, so maybe something great will open. Riiiiiiiiiight. I never think about that place as a viable alternative since the only time I went into it, I honestly felt the pull of death as I wondered about the sparse shelves with the other pensioners.
I love Lidl.
We eat a lot of their frozen food, their frozen chicken nuggets are among some of the best I've eaten, their pizzas are pretty decent, and their buffalo wings are good, as well.
Their cheese doodles rock, and the little teddy bear face looking chips remind me of Munchos back in the states.
They have great snacks, hardbread, and fake fruit loops, and we tend to do the Easter Bunny and Santa's candy shopping there, as well.
IMHO, all of the items you've listed above, apart from the hard bread, are "extras".
Nuggets, pizzas, wings, doodles, chips, cereal, candy....all of it is completely unnecessary.
Save yourself some kronor by not purchasing those items.
Perhaps I'm strict when it comes to food, but we rarely have "snack" foods in our house.
If my boy wants a snack, he gets a sandwich or a piece of fruit.
Pizza, nuggets, chips, candy are reserved for special occassions only, like birthday parties and the like.
Just my 2 cents ;)
I love the way these prejudices, Lidl = bad quality, Willy's have mice, are being sustained in this thread.
Of course Lidl sell a lot of junk, their target price sensitive market laps it up, but their goods are cheaper across the board and exactly the same quality as those identical items at other retailers who spend out on dozens of widescreen plasma displays, free taste samples, information desks, customer toilets, self scanning, etc etc.
Lidl have gone to 330 stores in the UK in a far more competitive environment than Sweden. And what's this rubbish about EU standards and Lidl food???
Lidl have gone over to Arla milk (http://www.lidl.se/se/home.nsf/pages/c.o.nis.index), as their German stuff didn't have the additional vitamin D that the local stuff has. Apparently their customers were all suffering from the scurvy... or not as the case might be.
I don't like the Lidl experience, but I also don't like to see it being knocked unfairly.
You guys seem to have gotten the impression that we live on and shop exclusively Lidl.
It fills a niche, it allows us to have the occasional junk food/comfort food, and a number of their goods are less expensive. I buy the Arla milk, lätta butter, baking margarine, hardbread, flour, sugar, Old El Paso taco things (Swedish normal brands) for the most part at Lidl. Yes, we toss in a couple a pizzas for the MONTH, and a couple of boxes of chicken nuggets for the MONTH, but those aren't eaten often and they are for snacks or for when something has come up and we need a quick meal, not something that takes time to prepare, and with 2 kids sometimes you need just that.
Geez, there sure are some judgemental people here. I take it some of you holier than thou never toss a pizza in the oven on a weekend for a quick lunch?
As for their fruits, what the hell is the difference in an apple that is clean and bruise free at Lidl and one that is clean and bruise free at Coop? I would venture a guess that they have a lot of produce that comes from the same source.
Some folks are just following the hype, I tell ya.... get real and lay off of me. I'm a wise shopper and I don't fill my family full of junk... just like I don't fill my head full of junk propoganda, either.
I'm a wise shopper and I don't fill my family full of junk.
Of course, Naomi. I was merely suggesting from my point of view that if you wanted to further reduce your food bill that you might want to consider cutting out some of those items.
As far as weekend lunch pizzas....no, actually. (And that's not any negative judgement on you, btw.) I'll tell you what we do....quick lunch, whole grain pasta and homeade tomato sauce and a side salad. We also keep leftovers in single serving sizes in the freezer for quick meals. Anytime we make tomato sauce, lasagne, stews, casseroles, etc., we freeze the leftovers for later.
Just sharing my ideas, not any negative vibe.
Well, I have to weigh in here too Naomi.;)
I don't think people are being holier than thou, but I have to admit, I was a little taken aback when I read your food list:
-their frozen chicken nuggets ... their pizzas ... their buffalo wings... their cheese doodles...little teddy bear face looking chips ....they have great snacks.... and fake fruit loops.... candy
Just between you and me, (and the entire internet.....ssshhhhhhhh), i:p: , if I eat cheese doodles: I'm having a bad day, I'm not happy. Quite frankly, I'm eating not for nutrients. After all, who eats cheeze doodles for the nutrients?
We generally have a ban on that type of stuff and I buy it reluctantly for my kids: they have to have a darn good reason to want to eat that crap that is called potato chips and cheese doodles.
I think there is a huge difference between "comfort" foods and snack food. I'm posting here because you have called snack foods "comfort" foods. NOT.
Fruit loops should be illegal. Punkt slut. Complete garbage. Comfort food in my opinion is a good home-cooked meal like home-made chicken soup or meatloaf, a really good homemade soup......not a bag of chips, a bag of chips is actually, from a nutrition point of view..... not classified as food.
Okay, I'm a bit of a radical here because my mother started a health food store back in the ......old days, and banned sweetened cereals, chips, white bread, etc, from our house and I never ate that stuff growing up. So, okay, I'm certainly not impartial to this discussion. I have my views!;)
My freezer is full of frozen pizzas now however because I have teens who are not always home for dinner. I cannot be holier than thou in that respect. But, when they were little, we had none of that in the freezer, it was SO much more fun to have them make a pizza together with quality ingredients.
At least not unless String Emil shows up, then I'm outta there!
Aww, come on...admit that the ONLY reason you keep coming back for more is the chance of having him bumping in to you:D
We don't get much, either, actually! I love their doodles and teddy chips, but get a total of maybe 8 to 10 bags a year.
The fruit loops are MINE, muhahahaaa! They are also a treat since I don't do milk so well. I love them back in the US, too.
We make our own pizza, I love my pizza, it's one of the things that I think I do well, just so time consuming the way I do it!
Nah, I buy those type things at Lidl, just not all at once and certainly not every month :) I supplement there.
I shop otherwise at Coop or the neighborhood ICA :)
Aww, come on...admit that the ONLY reason you keep coming back for more is the chance of having him bumping in to you:D
*shudder*:eek:
Wild Rover
24-11-2006, 12:33
Lidl purchases their produce from something that is called second's fields. These are fields that aren't fertilized and the produce grown there are planted and picked without any care of the soil. Produce grown in these fields are therefore not as full in nutrients as those grown in first's fields.
They also buy produce in experimental stages - that is genetically engineered that other stores refuse to buy because they are tasteless or lost nutrients. They may look the same, but they are not. So, yes, I do consider Lidl pretty dangerous. Willy's supposedly purchases along the same lines, however, I had a harder time finding the truth behind the marketing.
Do your own research. It took me about a month of everyday narrowing my search and finding research from governments, yes governmental sources, and agricultural university research labs. It was a very enlightening search of info and I would be lack if I gave you a link or two to get your answers. This was a month of many searches that proved the point for me about Lidl, and gave me my suspicions about Willy's. They seemed to be half poor quality, half regular store quality - no rhyme or reason from store to store, therefore, I don't trust them...
Naomi, We eat McDonald's about twice a year if that - absolute emergency. We have eaten frozen pizza once in our 6 yrs in Sweden - we got it free. We have eaten ready made store bought food - zero times. We make our food from scratch and prepare food for easy meals for when we are tired. We probably eat the kind of meals you are talking about 3 times a year. Those meals are costly for your pocket and your health, and I am not a health food nut by any means.
This is not a judgement, just a note that the average Joe doesn't use that stuff several times a month - or even once a month. You are fooling yourself if you think people do.
Wild Rover let's have some of those links.
Lidl, like most European supermarkets, are GM free.
WR, I think you're being a bit unfair in your comparison. Your kids diets are so restricted by their allergies that you can't really make an equal comparison in how you guys cook/prepare/eat with other people. If I remember right, they couldn't even drink saft and drank soda instead?
I really have no store or brand loyalty. I only buy stuff that I think is of decent quality and I rarely look at price tags.
That being said, I usually shop daily on my way home from work which means that I go to the Coop which is about a 2 minute walk from my front door.
If I'm having guests I generally shop at one of the Salu Hall's since the quality of the meats and cheeses is much better and the selection much wider. It's hard to serve up a Stilton stuffed Filet Mignon (with a Port wine reduction sauce) when all the stores have is 10 varieties of plastic cheese, and one or two scroungy looking Filet Mignon that looks like it might well be dog. (I know RacerX, dog is yummy, but I honestly wouldn't even serve it to my cat.)
That being said, I tend to spend way more than necessary for food items, but I'm paying for convenience.
Wild Rover
24-11-2006, 13:26
WR, I think you're being a bit unfair in your comparison. Your kids diets are so restricted by their allergies that you can't really make an equal comparison in how you guys cook/prepare/eat with other people. If I remember right, they couldn't even drink saft and drank soda instead?
They are no longer restricted in their diets. They can eat pretty much anything they like. Not a whole heck of a lot of fruits, but otherwise, anything goes. They actually drink water and don't drink soda. They have the occassional soda at friend's houses, out at activities as snacks. I'd say a soda once a month is a far cry from unhealthy.
Again, you are assuming that everyone eats junk and won't admit it, that we are being holier than though. Honestly, the only people I know who eat the things you talk about a few times a month are you guys. That must give you something to think about.
No one is judging you Naomi, only trying to give you something to think about. I mean going through the surgery you did, must have made you think about it as well.
José Maria
24-11-2006, 13:28
Sod this, I'm off to Pizza Hut!
Actually, J, you're assuming that we eat a lot of that junk, which we don't. THAT is the problem. Most of the time I do cook, and I cook a 3 part dinner, meat, starch, veggie. We don't eat bread with our meals, don't eat hotdogs or falukorv, and usually drink either iced tea or water.
We actually DO eat fairly decently here. The occasional quick meal doesn't make a bad diet.
I think there is too much assumption going on here.
Wild Rover
24-11-2006, 13:36
WR, I think you're being a bit unfair in your comparison. Your kids diets are so restricted by their allergies that you can't really make an equal comparison in how you guys cook/prepare/eat with other people. If I remember right, they couldn't even drink saft and drank soda instead?
ps. even when the boys needed special diets, we didn't nor did my other daughter. We could have made things really easy by making things just for them and buying the ready made easy stuff for us. We would have spent 1/3 as much time in the kitchen. Our choices of not eating ready made had nothing to do with their allergies. We didn't do it even before they were born.
I think there is too much assumption going on here.
Consumption Assumption, what's your function?
Hooking up plates and cakes and sausages.
Consumption Assumption, how's that function?
I got three favorite stores
That get most of my job done.
Consumption Assumption, what's their function?
I get "fries", "nuggets", and "korv",
They'll get you pretty far.
"MSG":
That's an additive, or Monosodium Glutamate.
Yellow25:
That's sort of the opposite,
"Not Blue3 but Yellow25".
And then there's "Korv":
KO-RV, when you have a choice like
"This korv or that".
"fries", "nuggets", and "korv",
Get you pretty far.
Consumption Assumption, what's your function?
Hooking up food and getting the runs tonight.
Milk and honey, bread and butter, peas and rice.
Hey that's nice!
Dirty but happy, digging and scratching,
Losing your shoe and a button or two.
He's poor but honest, sad but true,
Boo-hoo-hoo-hoo-hoo!
Consumption Assumption, what's your function?
Hooking up two meals to one
When you say something like this choice:
"Either now or later"
Or no choice:
"Neither now nor ever"
Hey that's clever!
Eat this or that, grow thin or fat,
Never mind, I wouldn't do that,
I'm fat enough now!
Consumption Assumption, what's your function?
Hooking up meat for meals that balance, like:
Out of the frying pan and into the fire.
He cut loose the Coop,
Because the prices wouldn't go any higher.
Let's go up to the mountains,
Or down to the sea.
You should always say "thank you",
Or at least say "pass the peas".
Consumption Assumption, what's your function?
Hooking up Foods and Goodies and Sausages
In complex meals like:
Consumption Assumption, what's your function?
Hooking up food and making it taste right.
Consumption Assumption, how's that function?
I like frying up curds and whey and sausages.
Consumption Assumption, watch that function.
I'm going to split some hares if you're very careful.
Consumption Assumption, what's your function?
I'm going to split some hares if you're very careful.
Consumption Assumption, what's your function?
I'm going to split some hares if you're very careful.
NewBlueVim
24-11-2006, 13:53
Mostly ICA Kvantum, but we do sometimes go over Coop Forum because they have a bigger selection.
As far as Lidl's goes... We don't have those up here yet, and if they did, I wouldn't go anywhere near one. My mother-in-law will often shop there back in Denmark, and we refuse to eat with her if anything she bought was purchased there. We go out and stock the house with foods from Brugsen first, then we eat. :p:
Brugsen aka coop
This is a whole other discussion that will undoubtedly lead to questioning anyone's decision to shop at Irma (inexplicably expensive coop) and the pointlessness of Fakta (cheap coop).
NewBlueVim
24-11-2006, 14:06
By supporting Lidl and Willy's, one risks the regular stores and smaller stores closing and the only ones left are the high priced high quality and the low priced low quality. The little stores in the middle of town close down, no more choice or ease of shopping, all markets end up in one place.
It's strange that this has happened in Denmark and not so much in Sweden. At least, in Copenhagen, it seems like everyone shops at Netto because it's SOOO much cheaper. Even though they run out of food every day and the lines are usually at lest 10 minutes long if you go after 11am. Netto isn't that much cheaper in Sweden... not so much that it's worth the extra trip like in Denmark.
Food prices in Denmark carry the full 25% VAT and prices in general seem to be almost 2x what they are in Sweden. Walking into a nice Swedish grocery store makes Sweden look like the land of glorious prosperity compared to Denmark: they're so clean and nice... the products are fresh and well displayed... there's so much selection and the employees actually SPEAK and SMILE at the register. This would almost be considered creepy in Copenhagen. I'm seriously not exaggerating.
Anyway... Netto is the largest grocery chain. They constantly strive to lower costs and everyones standards slide along with them. At the same time, Danes are richer than ever and richer than Swedes. Any ideas why it's so different?
markisevil
24-11-2006, 14:12
At the same time, Danes are richer than ever and richer than Swedes. Any ideas why it's so different?
Right now, I'd like to convince my boss that it's 'cos of the shorter working week... :sly:
My SO's brother was involved in installing the ventilation for several Lidl stores, and he has some stories that would curl your hair. Apparently their standard building plan had to be revised multiple times because certain things are required by swedish law. Things like an employee bathroom and lunchroom (lidl argues that they have only part time employees and no lunch breaks...). The ventilation system proposed was so crappy that it was illegal. There's plenty more where that came from as well. Its horrifying.
I agree with pretty much everything Fjord and WR have said about the place, and my own insights into how they treat staff (and WANT to be able to treat staff) put them on my consumer shit list. Their flyer goes straight into the bin here, though I used to use it to line our cats litter box, along with whatever copies of religious crap were shoved thru our mail slot.
Tidey
Honestly, the only people I know who eat the things you talk about a few times a month are you guys.
Since this surprised me I tried to find some polls about it, but it seems not to be easy to find. In my experience Swedes do eat a lot of fast food and unhealthy food/drinks, both outside the home and at home. I did find this:
From Metro 2006-09-18 (fitness section):
Hur ofta äter du skräpmat? (How often do you eat fastfood?)
resultat: (results: )
Varje dag 4% (every day 4%)
Ett par gånger i veckan 26% (a couple of times a week 26%)
Det varierar, jag är periodare 20% (it varies, I do it in periods 20%)
Enbart vid speciella tillfällen 18% (only at special occations 18%)
Försöker undvika det 25% (tries to avoid it 25%)
Aldrig 7% (never 7%)
http://metro.se/se/article/2006/09/18/13/4539-32/index.xml
”..alltfler väljer ohälsosamma produkter. Dessutom verkar många ha infört godis, chips och läsk till vardags istället för en gång i veckan som lördagsgodis.Mängden har också ökat. Både läskflaskor och godispåsar har blivit allt större. Om man frågar barn hur ofta de äter godis eller dricker läsk så berättar de att de gör det flera gånger i veckan.”
” I Sverige köper vi varje år mat för 20 000 kr per person. 42 % av detta är tomma kalorier. I Sverige äter varje person 14 kg godis per år. Alltför höga kaloriintag, för mycket godis, snacks och snabbmat är boven bakom den ökande ohälsan bland barn.”
http://www.imariefred.nu/nyheter/nyhetssidan.asp?1002
” Bara tio procent av ungdomarna når upp till WHO:s rekommendation att äta 500 gram frukt och grönsaker per dag. Närmare hälften av 15-åringarna äter godis/choklad mer än tre gånger i veckan, visar en studie. En undersökning bland ungdomar i Göteborgs och Älvsborgs län visar att 32 procent av killarna och 20 procent av tjejerna drack någon form av läsk varje dag. (COMPASS, 2004) Var femte svensk 4-åring dricker läsk minst tre gånger i veckan, enligt en studie som Livsmedelsverket gjort.”
http://www.goteborg.se/prod/sk/skolutvecklingsenheten/dalis2.nsf/vyFilArkiv/Livsv_8_24.pdf/$file/Livsv_8_24.pdf
Brugsen aka coop
This is a whole other discussion that will undoubtedly lead to questioning anyone's decision to shop at Irma (inexplicably expensive coop) and the pointlessness of Fakta (cheap coop).
A normal Brugsen is small compared to Coop Forum, which we have up here. Kvickly would be more along the same lines.. but Kvickly, which I do shop at from time to time if I happen to be in Denmark, is about 20 kilometers from my mother-in-law's home, so it's uncommon.
I've never shopped in Irma. When I lived in Denmark, I lived on Lolland.. not quite a shopper's paradise. :D
Although, I would almost agree that Fakta is pointless, but Fakta does often offer things from the States that you couldn't otherwise find near Maribo.
...This is not a judgement, just a note that the average Joe doesn't use that stuff several times a month - or even once a month. You are fooling yourself if you think people do.
I am pretty sure it is you who are fooling yourself if you think people don't.
I am pretty sure it is you who are fooling yourself if you think people don't.
Janbalk, I wouldn't agree with that. We used to buy that stuff when my kids were about 12, 13, but we just decided no more. It's just non-food and useless. We haven't bought that kind of stuff for ages. I think the last time a bag of cheeze doodles was in this house was about 2 years ago for a kids party. Why do I not buy it? Well, because it will just be a problem for me! Call me selfish, but, I will be the first one hitting that bag, and, I just don't want to have that choice to make.
Janbalk, I wouldn't agree with that.
You only have to see the swathes of space devoted to "chips" in the stores to see how popular they are. Typically about the same as fresh bread....
Sigh, yeah, I guess it's out there......but the fact is that each consumer has a choice to make, as an individual.
NewBlueVim
24-11-2006, 18:44
Most Danish supermarkets I've seen: Super Brugsen, Irma, Kvickly... etc... Are usually about the size of a Coop Konsum (not Forum). But again... that's in Copenhagen. I suppose they could be much larger outside of the cities.
Although, I would almost agree that Fakta is pointless, but Fakta does often offer things from the States that you couldn't otherwise find near Maribo.
I have to admit I've found myself at the Maribo Aldi more than once (I wasn't driving!)... I can't say I recommend German versions of Danish food...
Most Danish supermarkets I've seen: Super Brugsen, Irma, Kvickly... etc... Are usually about the size of a Coop Konsum (not Forum). But again... that's in Copenhagen. I suppose they could be much larger outside of the cities.
They are all COOP shops, too, as I am sure you know.
Denmark has huge, fabulous, fabulous supermarkets. There are plenty in and around Copenhagen. My favourite is Bilka.
--------------
ALDI is horrific German crap! Lidl is unashamedly an even worse copy of them.
Oh, how I am nw dreaming of Real (http://www.real.de)!
José Maria
24-11-2006, 19:12
Denmark has huge, fabulous, fabulous supermarkets. There are plenty in and around Copenhagen. My favourite is Bilka.
Sweden is becoming much better since the introduction of perestrojka.
Wild Rover
24-11-2006, 19:44
Since this surprised me I tried to find some polls about it, but it seems not to be easy to find. In my experience Swedes do eat a lot of fast food and unhealthy food/drinks, both outside the home and at home. I did find this:
From Metro 2006-09-18 (fitness section):
Hur ofta äter du skräpmat? (How often do you eat fastfood?)
resultat: (results: )
Varje dag 4% (every day 4%)
Ett par gånger i veckan 26% (a couple of times a week 26%)
Det varierar, jag är periodare 20% (it varies, I do it in periods 20%)
Enbart vid speciella tillfällen 18% (only at special occations 18%)
Försöker undvika det 25% (tries to avoid it 25%)
Aldrig 7% (never 7%)
http://metro.se/se/article/2006/09/18/13/4539-32/index.xml
”..alltfler väljer ohälsosamma produkter. Dessutom verkar många ha infört godis, chips och läsk till vardags istället för en gång i veckan som lördagsgodis.Mängden har också ökat. Både läskflaskor och godispåsar har blivit allt större. Om man frågar barn hur ofta de äter godis eller dricker läsk så berättar de att de gör det flera gånger i veckan.”
” I Sverige köper vi varje år mat för 20 000 kr per person. 42 % av detta är tomma kalorier. I Sverige äter varje person 14 kg godis per år. Alltför höga kaloriintag, för mycket godis, snacks och snabbmat är boven bakom den ökande ohälsan bland barn.”
http://www.imariefred.nu/nyheter/nyhetssidan.asp?1002
” Bara tio procent av ungdomarna når upp till WHO:s rekommendation att äta 500 gram frukt och grönsaker per dag. Närmare hälften av 15-åringarna äter godis/choklad mer än tre gånger i veckan, visar en studie. En undersökning bland ungdomar i Göteborgs och Älvsborgs län visar att 32 procent av killarna och 20 procent av tjejerna drack någon form av läsk varje dag. (COMPASS, 2004) Var femte svensk 4-åring dricker läsk minst tre gånger i veckan, enligt en studie som Livsmedelsverket gjort.”
http://www.goteborg.se/prod/sk/skolutvecklingsenheten/dalis2.nsf/vyFilArkiv/Livsv_8_24.pdf/$file/Livsv_8_24.pdf
Well, I guess it depends on where you want to put that "Det varierar", and what det varierar means, but it proves my point, 30% eat it compared to 80% who don't do it often if at all or 50% compared to 50%. It doesn't show that most or even just more people do eat like that.
The difference between soda and saft is IMO negligible and the same thing. I, like Mae, am not talking about the chips, etc, but the main meal being a "junk" meal, lacking of real vitamins and nutrients.
I do not claim to be a healthy eater, nor make the best of choices in what I purchase, however, I do not eat frozen pizzas, microwave dinners, ready made soups, Mc'D's, etc, but maybe 2ce a yr. You can make cooking easy without having to resort to pure junk. I eat things with butter, cook the occassional chicken with the skin on it, and have the occassional bowl of ice cream. I think that is plenty of unhealthy, never mind adding the pre fabricated crap called food.
If Mouse continues down this road of food choices she will find herself getting more surgery to save her life, not to lose weight.
WR, wtf are you talking about?
You are making WAY too many assumptions on the amount of junk food that is eaten in this house, and until you come and look in my pantry yourself, I'd appreciate you stopping.
For the last frigging time, it's something that we eat only on occasion, not an every day type thing.
Geez
Wild Rover
24-11-2006, 19:56
Then maybe you should think about what you say here. You are the one making it appear that you eat these items more than a few times a month. You are the one putting it out there Naomi, not me. You are portraying yourself time and time again as not a healthy eater.
I understand you are hurting and I only want you to think about your choices. You are a smart lady who went through gastric bypass and still eating things that you shouldn't be. That is denial. Your health is at stake. Wake up.
California Kid
24-11-2006, 22:05
Overskottsbollaget!
F ing great. (Somehow my keyboard has gone swedish so I canät write my usual contractions) I had to hit that place once a week no matter what to find the same ol shit I seen last week. Good place to find some culturally diverse foodstuffs. And just plain bizzare army surplus and other stuff. Bike locks, Very sharp, very cheap knives. Tools, electrical fixits for the house. I had better fun there than I could have had at a stripper bar. But then again, I have had my fun.
"Halvfabrikat eller processad mat behöver inte vara liktydigt med
näringsfattig mat, säger Anders Sjödin, läkare och forskare i näringslära
vid Uppsala Universitet. Vi kanske tror att vi måste tillreda all mat själva
men industrin kan framställa näringsrik mat, ibland till och med bättre än
vi gör själva."
link (http://72.14.203.104/search?q=cache:4C674pP04vMJ:www.vitamex.se/default.asp%3Fid%3D4234+halvfabrikat+nyttigt+uppsa la&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk&cd=7)
I have to admit I've found myself at the Maribo Aldi more than once (I wasn't driving!)... I can't say I recommend German versions of Danish food...
Aldi's has two things that I do like (though I won't buy produce there) I like those turkey legs with the sauce ready to heat and a Nutella type spread, but one side is chocolate and one side is banana. :D
I admit to being a picky eater and funny about brand names I don't recognize.
Curly fries!! I wish someone would start selling curly fries....I think the next time I am home I am going to buy a machine that cut potatoes into curly fries....
infinity
26-11-2006, 02:06
I love Lidl.
We eat a lot of their frozen food, their frozen chicken nuggets are among some of the best I've eaten, their pizzas are pretty decent, and their buffalo wings are good, as well.
Their cheese doodles rock, and the little teddy bear face looking chips remind me of Munchos back in the states.
They have great snacks, hardbread, and fake fruit loops, and we tend to do the Easter Bunny and Santa's candy shopping there, as well. We also hit their produce aisle, as it tends to have a little more variety than the local stores as far as things a little more exotic. I also get sugar and flour there, noodles and pasta, and taco/Mexican food items.
Lidl has improved!Is this the sort of stuff you feed Hanna?
tristessa
26-11-2006, 09:10
I've noticed that single people (especially younger guys . . I think my ex lives at McDonald's these days) in Sweden eat a lot of junk food, but have rarely seen it in families except for the lördaggodis thing.
I make a huge pot of vegetable soup about once a month, and freeze it in individual bags for quick meals when I don't feel like cooking. I do admit I have a lot more free time than someone with kids . . I hate to buy prepackaged food and will make things from scratch as often as possible. I try to make my own bread, often based in chickpeas so I get some extra protein & iron (since I'm vegetarian, and nearly anemic too) and when I buy it from the store, I get it fresh-baked, and as dark as possible. There's no oil/margarine in the house except olive oil, and it's put into a spray bottle so as little as possible is used. I have a small container of sea salts for very occasional use, mostly I use herbs and peppers (and fresh chilis, mmm) to flavor food, and leave the salt out of it. I buy only fullkorn pasta and eat it rarely, preferring to stick to steamed veggies and salad. For breakfast, it's branflakes, skim milk and lowfat, no-sugar-added yogurt. When I want something sweetened, I use applesauce and very occasionally, honey; there's no sugar in the house either. I drink water, milk, and green tea. Snacks are fresh or dried fruit . . the kind from immigrant stores that is actually just dried fruit, not the coated in sugar stuff you get in the Swedish stores.
I'll admit the occasional junk binge, but on average it's less than once a month . . I've split a pint of Ben & Jerry's with a friend 3 times since I've been in Sweden, I love cashews but buy them only 2 or 3 times a year. Have never bought chips, have bought candy a couple of times in a year, but always for under 20 kr (when it's the loose stuff) or extremely dark chocolate. I love fruit preserves, but have found some of the immigrant stores offer it with much less sugar than in Swedish brands. I will occasionally bake something rich, but I cut the recipe down as small as it will go, eat what I want of it, and throw away (or give away) the rest. It never stays in my house overnight.
I spend about 1000 kr a month on food and manage to eat fairly healthily, and it tastes good . . it's all about the spices. It's possible to eat cheaply, cut out most of the junk, have short preparation times, and still have good tasting food. I really recommend the soup thing and freezing it down, as it helps SO much when you just don't feel like cooking.
I'm not judging btw, just trying to offer some tips! I definitely have some pounds to lose myself, but it's more that I hate to get off my ass in winter and go outside (I haaaaate the cold) than what I eat. All my blood tests and whatnot show me to be in great shape health-wise, despite needing to lose weight (well, minus the anemia part)
Yes, Rob, don't you read WR's posts?
It's all we eat. We eat it daily and gorge ourselves on it till we are going to pop. When we aren't eating that, we are stuffing ourselves at mcDonalds, huge supersized meals, including desserts and I keep bowls of candy and chips out to snack on between all the desserts we eat around here all the time, too...
And, as WR has said in her pm to me, my surgery was apparently a waste, the 70+ pounds I've lost and kept off in spite of a healthy pregnancy and childbirth are nothing, and I'm still fat and look it in the pics I post here, and I'm destroying my family with how I feed them. It's all my fault that Micke gained weight (which is melting off since he started working out again, which I encouraged him to do)and that Hanna is solid, even though I limit her intake at home, don't buy her candy, send her with fruit to school daily, and try to get the school to limit her intake and exercise, as well. All my fault.
Fuck all of you judgemental idiots who only read what you want to read and skip over the part where I wrote that we eat that stuff only a time or two a month, that I try hard to make homemade meals for my family that include a protien, starch and veggie, and that I actually buy very little chips and candy from there. Portions and junk are limited around here, very limited! Fruit is encouraged, tv only allowed early in the morning, outside play insisted upon, etc.
But yeah, I am destroying my family's health by feeding them non-stop lidl junk.
Wild Rover
26-11-2006, 11:45
Since you brought it up... This is the e-mail... entitled, don't know where to start...
1. Remove my name from your post.
2. I have always considered you a friend, and I have never talked to you about your food choices before. You have had health issue after health issue caused by your eating and you are still in denial. This is not meant to be hurtful, but to ensure that your daughters don't suffer the same fate as you and have a mother into their adult life. It is time to wake up. I have seen recent pictures of you, that you put up on the site, and you are still not down to a smaller waist. Doesn't that tell you something Naomi? Micke has gained, you guys are not eating healthy. This is from seeing pictures as well as your own words on the different forums.
I am concerned for you, truly I am.
Get off Mouse would you people! Just because she posted some personal information it is not fair of you to use that in a distorted form against her in all kind of ways. You might intend to offer advice, but it surely looks like personal bashing to me.
"En helt ny svensk undersökning från Gallup visar dock att småbarnsfamiljer äter sämre än resten av befolkningen. I familjer med små barn äts mer snabbmat än bland övriga delar av befolkningen – mycket hämtpizza och frysta färdiga rätter. I många fall behöver snabbmat inte direkt betyda onyttig mat men då måste den kompletteras med grönsaker, bröd och mjölk, enligt dietisten Viveca Annell som hållit i studien."
link (http://www.mjolkframjandet.se/__data/assets/pdf_file/2678/En_battre_start_pa_livet.pdf)
EnglishCath
26-11-2006, 19:14
Mouse, I think your original post was misleading or perhaps just badly worded if you do indeed only eat "junk" food once or twice a month....
I love Lidl.
We eat a lot of their frozen food, their frozen chicken nuggets are among some of the best I've eaten, their pizzas are pretty decent, and their buffalo wings are good, as well.
Their cheese doodles rock, and the little teddy bear face looking chips remind me of Munchos back in the states.
They have great snacks, hardbread, and fake fruit loops, and we tend to do the Easter Bunny and Santa's candy shopping there, as well. We also hit their produce aisle, as it tends to have a little more variety than the local stores as far as things a little more exotic. I also get sugar and flour there, noodles and pasta, and taco/Mexican food items.
We eat frozen pizza a couple of times a month, färdig mat at most a couple of times a month sometimes not at all. I like frozen vegetables (peas, beans, cauliflower, spinach and brocolli), and we have frozen oven chips (french fries) perhaps once a month at most.
Mostly we cook from scratch or with the help of packet or jar sauces. If we have a meal like frozen breaded fish fillets, oven chips and frozen peas I do actually feel a little bad, like I am cheating. So we don't tend to eat like that so often.
California Kid
26-11-2006, 20:03
I had this in mind a while ago but it came up again after the "out of date food" thread.
Which Swedish supermarkets do you like and dislike and why?
Which stores get your vote?
Seems like if y'all could just stick to the topic ya might get along (lil' doggies) a lot better. No body asked you what you eat.
Where do you like to shop.
Overskottbolaget!:rockon:
José Maria
26-11-2006, 20:07
I thought if you had your stomach stapled (or gastric bypass), you couldn't eat any junk food at all, eller? The body simply shouldn't have to handle empty calories, after that surgery.
what EC said.
I certainly read "a lot" followed by that listing to mean that you DO eat that stuff often. How else should it be read? I personally think your inital post was more honest than the ones you¨'ve made since then, where you are extremely defensive.
I can't remember the last time we ate that kind of food. We sometimes buy the whole grilled chickens if they are on sale, but that very rare and only when we both get home after 7pm. That stuff you mention is expensive, bad for you, and not something I would feed myself, let alone a kid. The fruit loops mention alone.. yick.
You have health issues from being overweight, and your daughter is on her way to being overweight unless you're very, very careful. This thread wouldn't be an issue if you hadn't expressed your own concerns about health and food previously, and then you put out a grocery list that contains some truely terrible foods. It irks people when you ask for support about some things (your health, hanna being bullied etc) and then post something like this which is a big red flag saying "i contribute to those problems and don't much care what you all think".
That might piss you off, but thats how I see it.
A lot of different foods from there.
Phrased differently, happy, everyone?
Does NOT mean we buy it every month or eat it all the time, just that there are a variety of things there that we do purchase and eat.
For pete's sake, I'm being defensive because you guys are on me like a rabid pack of dogs... GO eat something and leave me and my diet alone. We eat better than a lot of folks, and eating junk food a time or two (gee, how many times have I said that now this thread) a month isn't going to hurt anyone, as long as it is a reasonable amount.
Let ME worry about my stomach and the surgery I had. I know how to eat and how to take care of it.
IF any of you actually knew anything about it, you'd know that this surgery makes the body police itself. If I eat too much of anything or eat the wrong food, I get horribly sick, vomit, shake, throw up, etc.
It's a crappy feeling and one that I don't like, so believe it or not, I'm actually careful about what I eat.
Getting back to the topic, I love ICA Maxi. Wide aisles, great selection, great fruit and veg. And their own brand nappies are quite good.
My least favourite is Willys, boy I hate that shop, I get so stressed by all the people, small aisles, long waiting in line to pay. Been here a few time to buy nappies as they were the cheapest for a while but now nearly everywhere sells economy packs for 95.
Mel
P.S. I still miss internet shopping. It was so wonderful to sit at my desk in work and shop and then come home to see the lovely Tesco delivery man carrying the stuff into my kitchen.
P.P.S. Learnt a very valuable lesson during the week, never ever go grocery shopping with a 2 month old, 22 month old and a husband. Hubby insisted on doing self-scanning and was like a sergeant major, asking have you scanned that?? I was very sweaty after that shopping trip especially as Jakob is still in his light-fingered stage so checking him for shop-lifting etc is a pain. Amazing what a little person can hide in their dungarees.
A slight off-topic question...are frozen vegetables really that much more unhealthy or are they ok? We have vegetables everyday but usually frozen Findus mixes.
A slight off-topic question...are frozen vegetables really that much more unhealthy or are they ok? We have vegetables everyday but usually frozen Findus mixes.
They can actually be better for you, they are processed quickly and frozen.
Fresh produce often spends far longer going from the farm to table.
A slight off-topic question...are frozen vegetables really that much more unhealthy or are they ok? We have vegetables everyday but usually frozen Findus mixes.
Actually, many people would be surprised to know that frozen vegetables are quite often more nutritious than fresh.
Freezing is a very efficient method of preserving the nutritional value, texture and flavour of many vegetables. Most vitamins will keep well in frozen vegetables. Carotene (a compound that is converted to vitamin A in the body) may actually be better preserved in frozen produce because packaging keeps the vegetables away from light (which destroys carotene).
For example, frozen peas typically have about 60% more carotene than 'fresh' peas (that have been exposed to light during their trip to the market and while awaiting sale).
Some losses of vitamin C and folate (also known as folic acid) occur during commercial freezing. About 25% of the vitamin C, and perhaps a greater percentage of the folate, will be lost during the blanching process that precedes commercial freezing. A smaller quantity (perhaps 10%) of the thiamin (formerly called vitamin B1) will be lost during blanching. Little further loss occurs during the time the food is kept frozen, provided that it has been stored properly (-18 degrees C for no more than six months).
However, the vitamin losses associated with blanching and the thawing/cooking process are similar to those that occur during normal cooking of fresh vegetables. This means that, provided they have been stored and then cooked properly, frozen vegetables provide similar levels of nutrition to fresh vegetables. It is also worth noting that for cooking both frozen and fresh vegetables, microwave cooking and steaming are both superior (in terms of retaining nutritional value) than boiling in a large volume of water.
Other vitamins are generally fairly heat stable and are largely retained during the blanching process and subsequent period of frozen storage, or are not found in significant quantities in vegetables anyway. Nutrients other than vitamins are not significantly affected by the freezing process.
Source: Nutrition Australia (http://www.nutritionaustralia.org/Food_Facts/FAQ/frozen_freshveg_faq.asp)
Some other interesting resources on the subject:
Can't Find Fresh? Canned and Frozen Fruits and Vegetables Still Count
Toward Your 'Five a Day' (http://www.delmonte.com/News/health7/body.htm)
Which is Best? Canned, Frozen or Fresh? (http://www.ext.colostate.edu/pubs/columnnn/nn970122.html)
Fresh vs. Frozen vs. Canned Fruits and Veg (http://members.aol.com/~rlauera/columns/fresh10.htm)
Diseases and Conditions - Discovery Health - Frozen Foods Versus Fresh (http://health.discovery.com/diseasesandcond/encyclopedia/1908.html)
Medill News Service on the Web -- Frozen food companies face long haul
for acceptance (http://xavier.cs.northwestern.edu:8000/article.asp?articleID=1035&item=archives)
Nutrition in Fresh and Frozen Produce (http://busycooks.about.com/library/archive/blfrozenproduce.htm)
How interesting, thanks for sharing. :) I had no idea and am glad to hear it!
Does this apply to any other foods -- frozen fish for example -- or are all other foods better when fresh? We have been using frozen fish (not frozen meats or poultry though) but will switch to non-frozen fish if that's better. Just how bad are frozen meals and soups? We have those sometimes for lunch, as they're such an easy alternative. Dinners are healthy though. :p:
Man if frozen veggies were bad for you, I'd be in trouble. We've got at least a dozen bags of frozen veggies in the freezer.
I don't know about the frozen soups, but I eat a lot of the veggie soup in the jar for lunch and it's healthy as anything else jarred.. frozen is better than jarred for veggies, so I would imagine it would be the same for the soups.
Frozen meals I don't eat except for frozen lasagna.. we have that once or twice a month with just a bagged premade ceasar salad. Not that healthy, but we love it anyway. :D
All this talk about supermarkets is a bit passé, sensible people shop online and occasionally supplement with a trip to "hallen".
No Carl.....Really sensible people don't shop at all, but have someone do it for them.
A slight off-topic question...are frozen vegetables really that much more unhealthy or are they ok? We have vegetables everyday but usually frozen Findus mixes.
It's not that they are unhealthy, it that they are slightly less healthy than fresh vegetables. IOW some of the "good" in vegetables are loosed or diminished if they are frozen.
So regarding vegetables:
in the choice between fresh and frozen choice fresh
in the choice is between frozen and none choice frozen
It's not that they are unhealthy, it that they are slightly less healthy than fresh vegetables. IOW some of the "good" in vegetables are loosed or diminished if they are frozen.
So regarding vegetables:
in the choice between fresh and frozen choice fresh
in the choice is between frozen and none choice frozen
Well, if by fresh you mean, fresh from the farm, then yes, but if you mean fresh as in having been transported long distances, and then stuck out on display for any length of time at the grocery market, then frozen is a better option.
Frozen veg is usually flash frozen while it is still actually "farm fresh", and thus retains much of what is lost in transportation by the "grocery fresh" veg.
So, in essence, while it might now sound logical on the surface, if you look into it a bit, you find that frozen is more often than not, better than fresh.
Maestro is dead right about the frozen veg thing (though admittedly Ive rarely seen peas sold fresh here..), but keep in mind that if something has been pre-cooked, marinated or otherwise altered its probably not a process that will improve things. I find that the majority of frozen broccoli is insanely watery. If I micro it without adding water I still get a lake at the bottom of the bowl, and if I want to add it to another recipie I need to squeeze the excess water out. Just like they do with chicken, some brands are altering the weights of items by icreasing the water content (and thereby increasing their profit margins).
I prefer the taste of fresh veg for almost everything, particularly broccoli, cauliflower, and spinich. But I find taht the frozen green beans are very good, and much better priced than the fresh ones.
I also buy the frozen chopped herbs, as I can't bother to grow my own herb garden.
One thing that does bug me is taht sometimes we get cucumbers here that have an odd aftertaste, but no one has been able to explain it. makes me wonder if they grew them next to a pesticide plant :sick:
Tidey
EnglishCath
27-11-2006, 14:08
I always thought that unless one lives on or near a farm that frozen vegetables are actually better healthwise.
Yeah, I've been really annoyed by the fact that our local Coop sells "fresh" Sugar Snap Peas from Kenya. This bothers me on several levels actually.
1. Wouldn't keeping the food in Africa be a better option, really? I mean... just check out the movie Darwin's Nightmare sometime to see what I'm talking about.
2. These things look about as fresh as a mummy.
lillatjej
27-11-2006, 14:22
Yeah, I've been really annoyed by the fact that our local Coop sells "fresh" Sugar Snap Peas from Kenya. This bothers me on several levels actually.
1. Wouldn't keeping the food in Africa be a better option, really? I mean... just check out the movie Darwin's Nightmare sometime to see what I'm talking about.
2. These things look about as fresh as a mummy.
Well you wouldn't look (and smell) so fresh if you had to walk 1,000 miles either.
would ya?
NewBlueVim
27-11-2006, 14:42
1. Wouldn't keeping the food in Africa be a better option, really? I mean... just check out the movie Darwin's Nightmare sometime to see what I'm talking about.
As much as I'm all for telling Africa what to do... as the West has done a very good job of it for the last several hundred years, but:
I would assume the growers, traders, etc. are getting more money for sending it to Europe than they are selling it to their own people. This increases the wealth of local farmers/traders so that they can invest in (a.) more and better food and distribution and (b.) more wealth generating export industries. Of course... skeptics of the free market can always say they COULD just buy a foreign made gas guzzling phat ride (like any good corrupt politician telling the UN how much he needs their money)... but I'm guessing these peas are a result of a lot of hard work from [selfish, and therefore] enterprising people who would rather spend the money improving their business. Oops... yeah... "lagom"
I'll haven't seen the film.. yet I'll keep an eye out for it assuming it's better than Planaten
Well you wouldn't look (and smell) so fresh if you had to walk 1,000 miles either.
would ya?
I expect I would taste like ass.
As much as I'm all for telling Africa what to do... as the West has done a very good job of it for the last several hundred years, but:
I would assume the growers, traders, etc. are getting more money for sending it to Europe than they are selling it to their own people. This increases the wealth of local farmers/traders so that they can invest in (a.) more and better food and distribution and (b.) more wealth generating export industries. Of course... skeptics of the free market can always say they COULD just buy a foreign made gas guzzling phat ride (like any good corrupt politician telling the UN how much he needs their money)... but I'm guessing these peas are a result of a lot of hard work from [selfish, and therefore] enterprising people who would rather spend the money improving their business. Oops... yeah... "lagom"
I'll haven't seen the film.. yet I'll keep an eye out for it assuming it's better than Planaten
Well, there's a lot of issues there to talk about, and while I'm all for "free enterprise", I hate the thought that rather a lot of the profit for goods sold from much of Africa is used to purchase weapons from both the East and West.
So planes and ships with food get sent over to Europe, and in return we send ships and planes filled with guns and ammo. It's a perverse situation to say the least.
loverlys
27-11-2006, 15:21
Either way with vegetables is fine as long as you don't OVERCOOK them, which can happen with either kind. Eating vegetables is the important thing.
^^ yarg!
I so hate when people overcook veggies. If I want babyfood I'll buy some.
NewBlueVim
27-11-2006, 15:27
Well, there's a lot of issues there to talk about, and while I'm all for "free enterprise", I hate the thought that rather a lot of the profit for goods sold from much of Africa is used to purchase weapons from both the East and West.
So planes and ships with food get sent over to Europe, and in return we send ships and planes filled with guns and ammo. It's a perverse situation to say the least.
They'll find weapons no matter what, especially if there is an entire class of people with no economic power that needs to be suppressed. The good thing about food is that it's a renewable resource unlike minerals and generates cyclical activity and growth unlike mining.
Of course some of that money can end up in the wrong hands. I believe the frequent claims that the honey industry is frequently used to smuggle weapons. However, as long as who or what ever is in charge can increase their personal wealth by making capital investments... the trade is probably a good thing. I'd be surprised to learn they're spending more of their wealth on weapons than we do in the US.
Jesus wept.
Maybe it is just so that African farmers are actually human beings and are more interested in paying wages and covering operating costs, rather than buying guns?
Especially in a country such as Kenya. Now that Arap Moi has been ousted, Kenya has played a vital role in negotiating peace in the region and is regarded as a safe haven for many. I think it highly unlikely that they spend even half as much a % of their GNP on military endeavours as the USA does.
My grandfather farmed in Africa for several decades. My own, African country exports masses and masses of produce. You cannot mark the whole continent with the same brush.
Moreover, since the farming industry has been brought to its knees in Zim, everyone suffers.
Trocadero
27-11-2006, 16:31
*I just wish the stores here carried the same stuff they do in CA*
OOps off topic there.
I like ICA and Willies.
Jesus wept.
Maybe it is just so that African farmers are actually human beings and are more interested in paying wages and covering operating costs, rather than buying guns?
Especially in a country such as Kenya. Now that Arap Moi has been ousted, Kenya has played a vital role in negotiating peace in the region and is regarded as a safe haven for many. I think it highly unlikely that they spend even half as much a % of their GNP on military endeavours as the USA does.
My grandfather farmed in Africa for several decades. My own, African country exports masses and masses of produce. You cannot mark the whole continent with the same brush.
Moreover, since the farming industry has been brought to its knees in Zim, everyone suffers.
I very carefully said "much of Africa" ignoring that blighted southern tip entirely... however, you raise a good point. There are some fine countries in Africa, but my objection remains... Europe can grow Sugar Snap Peas. Why not keep them fresher for consumption by keeping them on the same continent. Just a thought. (War torn bits seem to be able to afford to pay top money for guns, why not for Veg? Ahh, because Europe will pay more for Veg and fish filets, while the kids working to produce it stand up to their knees in filth and fish guts, ooh, and if they are lucky after their 14 hour day, they get to buy a fish head for dinner.
*I just wish the stores here carried the same stuff they do in CA*
OOps off topic there.
I like ICA and Willies.
You and Fjord have some things in common. He also likes Willies.
I also thought about the big Willies and the little Willies that have been mentioned here.....
And apparently there are more little Willies that we can ever imagine around these parts.
And apparently there are more little willies that we can ever imagine around these parts.
Yes, I've heard....
Trocadero
27-11-2006, 18:03
Hmmm?
One Willys store and several Willies Stores, eller?
Anywho I like Willy:s/ies. Period.
Just an observation but I am not that fond of Willies in Sweden;)
Swedish Willies are fine, its the other sort one has to beware of.
The odd thing about Willies is that the further north you go, the smaller they tend to get... what's that about?
Trocadero
27-11-2006, 18:20
The odd thing about Willies is that the further north you go, the smaller they tend to get... what's that about?
It's colder, doh!! :D
Ok tack och hej for mig! :look:
The odd thing about Willies is that the further north you go, the smaller they tend to get... what's that about?
Less supply and demand??? Also known as Shrinkage
Less supply and demand??? Also known as Shrinkage
I reckon that's how Shrinkage, Alaska got its name.
Arsenalgirl
28-11-2006, 08:58
The odd thing about Willies is that the further north you go, the smaller they tend to get... what's that about?
:laughingh
infinity
28-11-2006, 23:27
Just an observation but I am not that fond of Willies in Sweden;)Had a lot of them?
Trocadero
05-12-2006, 13:11
oops wrong post, sorry.
Coop Forum is a walmart-like Coop. I like it because I can get almost everything that I need in one stop, they have great specials, and a wide assortment of ethnic food, including American pancake syrup and barbeque sauce etc.
Willys is great for cheap, cheap, but you gotta watch the quality. The upscale ICA's and Hemkops have great food including great delis, but you gotta be willing to pay, I am usually too cheap. AG's in Skåne is a nice mix of selection, quality, and price.
Though not supermarkets, the Arab grocery stores are always fun. Bizarre assortment, great prices on some things. Malmö has them all over, and I really like them.
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