Two out of three Swedes worry about food shortages in a crisis – concern has increased since last year

As the Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency (MSB) organizes Emergency Preparedness Week, Lantmännen presents new figures on Swedes' views of the country's food preparedness. Concern over access to food in times of crisis and war has grown, and many Swedes also believe that Sweden produces too little food.

Two out of three Swedes, 66 percent, fear that food will not be sufficient in the event of crisis or war. This is shown in a survey by Novus, commissioned by Lantmännen. Concern has increased - last year the figure was 59 percent.

"The concern is justified. The fact that only half of the food we eat is produced in Sweden creates insecurity and makes us vulnerable," says Per Arfvidsson, Deputy CEO of Lantmännen.

The survey shows that Swedes want Sweden to produce more food. Dissatisfaction with the low level of self-sufficiency - the share of domestically produced food in total consumption - is widespread.

The government recently announced the launch of building strategic reserves - a move welcomed by Lantmännen. At the same time, the company maintains that further measures are needed to ensure long-term resilience, including the storage of production inputs as well as an increase in domestic food production.

"Swedish farmers both want to and can produce more food. We have agriculture and food production at the forefront, and with the right measures Sweden can rapidly and sustainably accelerate production," says Per Arfvidsson.

Lantmännen sees strong potential if the right actions are taken.

"With commitment and investments from politicians and the industry, combined with greater awareness of the value of choosing Swedish and farmer-owned, we can strengthen Sweden's food production and thereby the country's preparedness," concludes Per Arfvidsson.

To highlight the crucial role of farmers in Sweden's food preparedness, and to show that consumers can contribute by choosing Swedish and farmer-owned products, Lantmännen launched the initiative Matvärnet. Today's survey is part of this work.

More information

Additional results from the survey
- Only one in five Swedes, 18 percent, correctly believe that Sweden's self-sufficiency rate is 50 percent. Knowledge has increased somewhat since last year. A majority, two out of three, believe it is lower, and only 16 percent believe it is higher.
- Two out of three are interested in learning more about how, as consumers, they can contribute to Sweden's self-sufficiency.

About the survey
The survey was conducted by Novus on behalf of Lantmännen, through online interviews with Novus' randomly recruited Sweden Panel, which guarantees representative results. It is based on 1,043 completed interviews with the Swedish public aged 18-84, carried out between March 20-27, 2025. Several results have been compared with a similar survey conducted in August 2024.

For more information, please contact:

Lantmännen's Press Office Tel: +46 10 556 88 00 E-mail: [email protected]