Norway’s High Tariffs Blamed for Soaring Food Prices and Surge in Cross-Border Shopping

Norwegians continue to face some of the highest food prices globally, with costs rising sharply over the past year. While politicians often point to grocery chains and taxes, economists and consumer groups highlight a central issue the government avoids tackling: Norway’s own high tariffs on food imports, designed to protect domestic farmers and producers. These tariffs make everyday items—such as dairy products, vegetables and meat—significantly more expensive than in neighbouring Sweden.
Prices have increased steeply across a range of staples. Cheese, milk, potatoes, fish and meat have all seen double-digit price hikes, with some products rising by 30 percent or more. Specialty items, including lamb filets, have reached extraordinary levels, costing more than NOK 700 per kilo. Even common produce like spring onions has jumped well above last year’s prices.
As a result, Norwegians are increasingly travelling to Sweden in search of cheaper groceries. New figures show cross-border spending reaching NOK 8.9 billion in just the first nine months of the year, up 11 percent from the same period last year. Day trips over the border surged more than 20 percent, with more than 1.5 million trips recorded in the third quarter alone. Most of this spending is concentrated on food, drinks and household goods.
Opposition lawmakers are now calling for a review of Norway’s agricultural tariffs, arguing they distort competition and keep prices artificially high. But successive governments have avoided reform, citing the need to protect rural communities and maintain domestic food production. This reluctance leaves consumers bearing the cost, while Swedish retailers—and Norwegian property owners with investments in Sweden—benefit from the ongoing exodus of shoppers.