Norway’s state statistics bureau SSB reported Wednesday that prices on average were 2.6 percent higher in June than they were in the same month last month. That’s the lowest percentage increase in the past three years, however, and another indication that inflation is easing.
Consumers still have to deal with higher prices, though, especially at the grocery store. Food prices rose the most, by another 4.9 percent in June, and that’s clearly visible at large stores like Meny, where the prices of everything from a small pot of parsley to apple juice and melk have jumped again. Meny is also now charging NOK 5.50 for a plastic shopping bag, up from NOK 4 last year.
Meny and several other stores have resorted to so-called “offers” of three similar items for the price of two, but the price of each item has jumped by as much as 10 percent or more, so consumers need to do the math themselves and be careful. Some Norwegian meat producers have also stopped putting prices on individual packages of lamb and beef, for example, forcing consumers to figure out what the package will cost by calculating the price per kilo (weight is still marked on meat packages) that’s only displayed on grocery shelves where the package is placed. That price is higher than ever, with beef and lamb cuts now often costing well over NOK 400 per kilo, or nearly USD 20 per pound.
NewsinEnglish.no staff