Shopping for food in local shops

Important to know

• The agreed price for an item isn’t finalised until you pay at the checkout.

• You have the right to make a complaint if a food product is off or otherwise faulty.

• There is a difference between the best-before date and the use-by date.

Can I make a complaint about foodstuff?

You have the right to lodge a complaint if there is something wrong with the food product you have bought. Lodging a complaint means that you turn to the shop to complain.   Usually you can enforce the statutory guarantee within three-year after the purchase. However, you must contact the company with your complaint within two months of detecting the defect or problem. Bear in mind that many food products are fresh and perishable, and therefore the time for lodging a complaint is much shorter. Therefore, check the goods at once and contact the shop straight away if anything is wrong or if the packaging seal is broken.

The store should in first hand fix the fault. This usually means that you get the faulty food replaced. If they cannot replace the food, you are entitled to a refund.

Using your statutory guarantee should not cost you anything.

Compensation for extra costs

The company must compensate you for any additional costs incurred due to a faulty product. For example, you can receive compensation for travel expenses if you need to make an extra trip to the store to exchange the item. You need to be able to show the costs you have incurred.

You cannot claim compensation for the inconvenience or the time spent.

Do I have the right to return food products I have purchased?

A purchase with a right to return or refund, is something that is voluntarily to offer by a store. Each store can determine if the want do offer a right to return or refund.

This means that some shops offer a right to return within 30 days, while others do not accept any returns. To find out the return policy of the shop, ask at the shop before you make your purchase.

If the price is incorrect

You have no statutory right to obtain a product at the price shown on the shelf or on the item. Sometimes mistakes happens and it is not until you get to the checkout that you and the shop come to an agreement as to the price. If when you get to the checkout you find out that the price marked on the product is incorrect, you can choose not to buy it.

Wrong price in ad

You cannot demand to buy the product at the price stated in the advertisement from a shop. There may be errors in advertising and the company is not bound by the price information in the advertising.

In some cases, you may be entitled to compensation for costs incurred due to the incorrect price in the advertisement. For example, there could be costs for an unnecessary trip to the store. Contact the store, preferably in writing, and explain what you want compensation for. You must be able to prove with receipts or or similar which costs you want compensation for.

Best-before date and use-by date

It is permissible to sell food that has passed its best-before date, as long as the product being sold is not spoiled or otherwise unsafe or harmful to health. Foodstuffs can usually be eaten after the best-before date has passed. It is the responsibility of the retailer selling the foodstuff to ensure that the products sold are indeed safe.

Unlike food that has passed the best-before date, it is not permitted to sell products that have passed the use-by date. This label is used for foods that can go bad quickly and that can make you sick if you eat them after the use-by date.

The Swedish National Food Agency is the principal public authority responsible for food labelling.

Further information about date labelling is available on the Swedish National Food Agency website (in Swedish)

Rounding off – what is the rule?

When paying by card, the store can choose whether they want to rounding or charge for the exact amount. There is a law that governs how rounding in öre may be done. The law states that amounts in öre must be rounded to the nearest hundred. This means that amounts with the final number 1 to 49 must be rounded down and amounts with the final number 50 to 99 up. The rounding may only be done on the total amount, not on each individual item.

The law governing rounding in öre is dispositive, which means that it can be agreed away. The store can therefore choose to follow the provisions of the law but can also choose to charge the exact amount.

Right to compensation for damages

If you have been harmed due to a faulty food product, you have the right to claim damages, i.e. compensation, for the additional costs you suffered. It could, for example, be compensation for dental care if you damaged a tooth on something that is not supposed be in the food.

It may be good to check if there is any warning text on the packaging, as The National Board for Consumer Disputes (ARN) has previously included it in its assessment.

Keep in mind that your claims for compensation must be reasonable. You must be able to provide evidence of the harm you have suffered. You will also need to be able to provide evidence of the expenses incurred, such as receipts.

Store your food properly

If you store food correctly, it will last longer. This can reduce your food waste. A simple rule is that the colder the food is kept, the longer it will stay edible. A recommended temperature is +4°C in the refrigerator and -18°C in the freezer.

Read about the best way to store different foods, such as meat, dairy products and fruits and vegetables, on the Swedish National Food Agency’s website.

Information on how to store your food properly is available on the website of the Swedish National Food Agency (In Swedish)

Food poisoning

Food poisoning is caused by eating food that contains bacteria, parasites, viruses or toxins. Common symptoms are diarrhoea, vomiting, nausea, stomach pain or fever.

Report food poisoning to the Environmental and Health Protection Office

If you suspect that you have had food poisoning, you should contact the environmental and health protection office or the equivalent in your municipality as soon as possible. If the municipality suspects that it is a common source of infection for several notifications, the important, but also often difficult, tracing work begins.

Tell the company who sold the food

When you suspect that you have had food poisoning, it is important that you also tell the company who sold the food. The store is responsible for ensuring that the food is safe to eat. When you tell them, you give them the chance to remove the food. In this way, we can avoid more people being affected.

Tips to avoid getting sick

When you cook there is a lot you can do to avoid getting sick. This is always a good thing to do:

• Put refrigerated goods, such as fresh meat, fish and dairy products, into the fridge as soon as possible.

• Please keep a thermometer in the refrigerator. Good temperature is +4°C.

• Use clean utensils, keep the workbench clean and wash knives and cutting boards thoroughly after cutting raw meat and chicken.

• Wash your hands before you start cooking and immediately after handling raw meat and poultry.

Read more on the Swedish Food Agency's website (in Swedish)

Stores must indicate the country of origin for certain foods

As a consumer, you should be able to find information about, for example, the country of origin on the packaging of certain foods.

Some of the foods that must be labeled are fruit and vegetables, fish, and certain types of beef.

The requirement for labeling exists so that traders can identify and compare products, but also so that you can receive information about the goods.

If packaging is missing, the store sholuld instead provide the information.

Inspection of labeling

Usually it is the Swedish Food Agency that handles the rules on how food should be labeled. However, the Swedish Board of Agriculture is responsible for labeling fresh fruit and vegetables.

Read more on the Swedish Food Agency's website (in Swedish) Read more about labeling of fruit and vegetables on the Swedish Board of Agriculture's website (in Swedish)

If you do not reach an agreement with the company

If you and the company cannot reach an agreement, you can file a complaint to the public authority the National Board for Consumer Disputes (ARN).

ARN will assess your case and make a recommendation on how to resolve the dispute. Most companies follow ARN’s recommendations.

A normal processing time is approximately six months. 

What does it cost to file a complaint with ARN?

It costs SEK 150 to file a complaint with ARN. When you submit your complaint, you can request that the company compensates you for the cost if ARN makes a recommendation in your favor.

Requirements for ARN to consider your case

• The company has either rejected your claims or has not responded within a reasonable time.

• The amount you and the company are in dispute about is SEK 500 or more. You cannot include the application fee to ARN.

• You file the complaint within one year from the first time you complained to the company.

Submit a complaint on ARN’s website

Do you need guidance?

If you are unsure what to do, you can always contact us at the Swedish Consumer Agency's guidance for advice and assistance.

Contact us

Many municipalities also offer consumer advice and can give you support in your case

Submit a complaint to the Swedish Consumer Agency

The Swedish Consumer Agency is the regulatory authority for marketing and price information. If you suspect that a company is breaking the rules on marketing or providing false or misleading price information, you can report it to the Swedish Consumer Agency. Filing a report does not mean that we can assist you in your specific case, however it may lead to an investigation being opened.

File a complaint on the Swedish Consumer Agency’s website