Stockholmers take the lead in choosing more wholesome foods for their Christmas traditions – People in Norrland and Småland least wholesome in Christmas eating habits

Stockholmers think the most about their health at Christmas. People in Norrland and Småland do so the least. A closer look at the more wholesome alternatives surfacing on people’s Christmas buffets shows that people in eastern Sweden have increased their purchases of such foods. People in Norrland are buying even more Christmas sausage, Christmas beer and headcheese, while consumers in Skåne are buying more and more kale and sweet & sour cabbage (brunkål).

Hemköp’s statistics are based on a selection of Swedish Christmas products from grocery stores across the country during the 2005 Christmas shopping season. The sales figures have been adjusted to the number of inhabitants in the respective regions.

“If you look at the more wholesome alternatives on the list of Christmas foods, the differences in Christmas grocery shopping are greater than in previous years,” says Katarina Gabrielson, Marketing Manager at Hemköp. “People in Stockholm have suddenly become more tradition-bound regarding their Christmas foods compared with last year, when it was the people in Norrland who topped the list. Julmust light, low-fat red beet salad, and low-fat meatballs and prinskorv delicacy sausages are Christmas specialties that Swedes prioritise highly in the eastern parts of the country. The sales picture for ready-made rice pudding has also changed – last year, people in Norrland and central Sweden bought the most packages; this year, the pattern is more even across Sweden.”

Norrlanders not concerned with healthy foods at Christmas
People in Norrland and Småland think the least about healthy food choices during Christmas. People in central Sweden still eat the most Christmas crisp bread; however, they also eat the most low-fat red beet salad. People in Småland prefer “regular” red beet salad and “regular” prinskorv sausages, while people in Stockholm are more keen to buy healthier alternatives.

For colour-coded Christmas statistics and photos of a Swedish Christmas buffet, visit www.axfood.se/pressrum.