In several stores in the country, the ground beef is currently out of stock.
The number of cows in Sweden has not been so few since the 19th century.
– It takes about three to four years to increase the volumes in stores. It’s not something you fix from one day to the next, says Isabel Moretti, CEO of Swedish Meat.
In several stores in the country, the shelves where there is usually ground beef are empty. And it may take some time for the situation to return to normal.
– From the idea to having increased the volumes in stores, it takes about three to four years. It’s not something you fix from one day to the next, says Isabel Moretti, CEO of Swedish Meat.
Isabel Moretti is the CEO of the trade association Swedish meat.
Photo: Ewa Stackelberg / Swedish meat, press photo
The reason for the shortage is, among other things, that there are too few cows in Sweden. Isabel Moretti says that the number of cows is down to levels of what they had in the 19th century, which is when they started measuring. Production also decreased by 15 percent in 2025 compared to the previous year.
“Will continue to be in short supply”
The acute shortage on the shelves may, however, be resolved within a short time, but Isabel Moretti believes that people will have to get used to the fact that the ground beef sometimes runs out in the coming years.
– We are coming out of holidays and very bad weather, which of course has also affected the logistics chains.
– The acute shortage that has been after the Christmas holiday can probably be expected not to be as dramatic in the future, but we will continue to have a shortage and it will continue to be empty from time to time, says Isabel Moretti.
One of the reasons for the lack of ground beef is that there are few cows in Sweden.
Photo: Mujo Korach / IBL
“Challenging years”
It is also not only private individuals who have had tough years financially, but also farmers. The meat market is uncertain and prices have increased for both consumers and farmers, says Isabel Moretti.
– It has been very challenging years. The elderly have given up and the active have not dared or had the finances to invest. You can draw parallels to ourselves, where they have been tough years for private individuals with high interest rates and inflation.
