The Norwegian Butter Crisis

[Dango]

Well I bet that's churning the hearts of Norway's citizens.

And I have no idea what I would do without butter.

 

[Shockolate]

Last week, my mom was bitter about peanut butter prices going up because the USA's crops got fucked or something.

I dunno, I got nothing.

 

[MrTub]

Here is a somewhat decent google translate from DN.se (Swedish website)

Honestly OP I though you were trolling.


http://translate.google.se/translate?sl=sv&tl=en&js=n&prev=_t&hl=sv&ie=UTF-8&layout=2&eotf=1&u=http://www.dn.se/nyheter/varlden/smorsmuggel-till-fettbristens-norge&act=url

Google översätt seems to be having trouble with that page. Even Google Translator can't seem to get it to work. Here's the text, I love robot translations.

Autumn Scandinavian butter shortage still affects Norway with full force. On the net offered Swedish butter out at prices in excess of SEK 1,000 a kilo. Sweden saves itself by means of import.

As in Sweden earlier this fall gape now spreads counters empty in many places in Norway. This has led to an almost bizarre secondary market. Even opened butter packages are offered - more or less tongue in cheek - go online to violent over prices.

- Food should be purchased from professional and secure merchant, not the private environment, warns Atle Wold, section chief at the Norwegian Food Safety, the newspaper VG.

- I would urge people not to buy butter products that are posted on Finn.no and elsewhere, says Lars Galtung, communications manager at a dairy wholesaler Tine.

VG has also talked to one of the hopeful vendors, Tove Li in asana. She gives out her butter on online auction.

- I should have 800 billion, at least. Then I can give 400 crowns for each of my children's sports teams, she says, adding that she is far from the worst.

- I've seen an ad where you would have 5000 bits for a packet of butter. It's totally freaked out.

And to take in fat from Sweden can not be done anyway. Butter trade is customs-coated, which is a Russian who through Svinesund tried to bring in 90 kg experienced on Friday. He was arrested on suspicion of smuggling attempts.

The duty is also Norway's problems right now, says Jonas Carlberg, director of the department of dairy policy in the trade association Swedish Dairy Association.

- They have, as we understand it, a very restrictive trade policy, bordering on protectionism. They have enormously high tariffs on food and to protect domestic production with very high tariffs.

Violent over prices! I'm surprised tongue-in-cheek gets translated, usually idioms like that are lost.

I like how it translated kronor to billion...

"- I should have 800 billion, at least. Then I can give 400 crowns for each of my children's sports teams, she says, adding that she is far from the worst."

 

[RaeveSpam]

2011 will forever be remembered by Norwegians as the year without butter.

I do think that the year 2011 will be remembered for a more serious incident in Norway. But this is still pretty funny, I'm from Denmark so I've heard how people are using the ferries to transport and sell Danish butter to Norwegians

 

[Dags90]

I like how it translated kronor to billion...

"- I should have 800 billion, at least. Then I can give 400 crowns for each of my children's sports teams, she says, adding that she is far from the worst."

Is Norway one of those wacky places where a billion is a million million instead of a thousand million?

 

[Robert Ewing]

Oh wow :L this is the most dire story ever.

 

[capper42]

I now feel bad about the barely used, month out of date butter in my fridge.

 

[Leemaster777]

I'll tell you one thing, if this happened in America, there'd be rioting. The streets would run red with blood. The dead would be left to rot. Cats and dogs living together, mass hysteria. Butter would become the new currency.

...what? I live in America. I can make fat people jokes.

 

[Xrysthos]

I like how it translated kronor to billion...

"- I should have 800 billion, at least. Then I can give 400 crowns for each of my children's sports teams, she says, adding that she is far from the worst."

Is Norway one of those wacky places where a billion is a million million instead of a thousand million?

Yes, it is. But it is of little importance - if this continues Norwegians will soon be measuring their wealth in kilos.

 

[Valanthe]

This reminds me of a few years back, I can't remember the exact details of what happened, but basically all of the A&W restaurants in southern BC ran out of chicken, I've worked in fast food for too many years, but I can honestly that was the only time in my career I've received -actual death threats- because of food.

 

[Vampire cat]

Norwegian here...

This is rubbish, seriously. There are plenty of substitutes for the butter in question to use in cooking even of our traditional dishes... It kinda pisses me off that anyone dare call a butter shortage a crisis, as if it was a serious situation. NO ONE will die because of this.

Personally, I will be stuffing my face with traditional Norwegian christmas food like I always do, and I'm 100% sure it'll be as fatty and delicious as always. I haven't lost a seconds sleep over this, nor has anyone in my family, and I laugh in the face of those willing to spend loads of money on blackmarket butter... Makes for great dinner jokes though, unfortunately those I've heard in various gatherings sofar have all been in Norwegian and translate poorly =3.

Enjoy your butter everyone else! Don't bother with the crying Norwegians, they have it too good to be allowed to complain about something like this.

but I can honestly that was the only time in my career I've received -actual death threats- because of food.

What makes people go so crazy over stuff like this? X3 A lady at my local store threw a full carton of eggs at the wall because the employees there couldn't get her the butter she desired... IT's JUST BUTTER!

 

[Chalacachaca]

This is simply one of the greatest examples of the "first world problem" meme ever seen. I am in awe.

My thoughts exactly.

As for op's question about similar food shortages situations, I can say that we've been through milk, flour, butter, oil, coffee, sugar shortages here in Venezuela, as well as entire containers full of spoiled food.

 

[Astoria]

Wow, the only thing even slightly like this to happen in Australia was a mass shortage of bananas after a cyclone wiped out a lot of the crops in Queensland. They went up to almost $20 (they're usually $2) a kilogram for a while but everyone just stopped buying them so no big deal.

 

[Tanis]

Well...um...huh.

But, seriously?
At least pizza ain't a veggie where you're from.

 

[Not G. Ivingname]

Oh noes!

What will they do without BUTTER!!!!! D:

Sorry, this is just the funniest news I have heard in quite some time.

 

[Not G. Ivingname]

Norwegian here...

This is rubbish, seriously. There are plenty of substitutes for the butter in question to use in cooking even of our traditional dishes... It kinda pisses me off that anyone dare call a butter shortage a crisis, as if it was a serious situation. NO ONE will die because of this.!

OT: Seriously, how is this a crisis?

 

[MrTub]

I like how it translated kronor to billion...

"- I should have 800 billion, at least. Then I can give 400 crowns for each of my children's sports teams, she says, adding that she is far from the worst."

Is Norway one of those wacky places where a billion is a million million instead of a thousand million?

I dunno about norway but in Sweden a billion is 1000 million (en miljard)

 

[Colour Scientist]

Oh dear.
Butter stock up while you can.

 

[Dwarfman]

So, what would you do? Have you ever experienced similar food shortages?

E

During and after the floods in Queensland last year I was amazed at how empty the shops were. People panicked and bought out nearly every store around even if they weren't affected. I remember at the hight of the floods - I live in Upper Mt Gravatt which wasn't affected in any way - and I was shocked at how there was no bread, milk or meat in any shop. Every one had bought them.

Gas was a rare commodity as well. I had to go to four different places before finding the second last gas cylinder in all of south east Brisbane!

 

[OniaPL]

Eh, over here in Finland we are out of butter as well, and I mean completely. We already caught the first Russian smuggling butter over the border.