Many families are turning to squeeze bottles of strawberry jam because it is a favorite among children.
On the bottles from Lerum, there are small slogans like “Squeeze for the sweetheart” and “Squeeze for the good boy.”
But looking at the ingredient list, one may get a sugar shock.
Case Summary
- Lerum, Coop, and Nora sell squeeze bottles of strawberry jam that contain only 40 percent fruit, and in some cases more sugar than fruit.
- The EU has introduced new regulations requiring that jams must contain at least 450 grams of fruit per kilo to support healthier eating habits and the fruit market.
- Nora offers a variant with reduced sugar content, but this is only sold at the low-cost chain Extra, not at Kiwi or Rema 1000.
- The price difference between high and low sugar jams is significant; Nora Less Sugar costs 66 percent more than the Coop jam with more sugar.
The summary is made with artificial intelligence (AI) from OpenAI. The content is quality assured by TV 2’s journalists.
– Absurd
– It’s silly and totally unnecessary to sell such a poor product, says clinical nutritionist Tine Sundfør, who has researched obesity and holds a doctorate from the University of Oslo.
– It’s absurd. It’s quite sick that they offer jam with so much sugar aimed at families with children, says father of three and food influencer Kristoffer Gregersen.
QUITE SICK: Food influencer Kristoffer Gregersen thinks the amount of sugar in the jam is too extreme. Photo: Private
In the supermarkets, you will find squeeze bottles from the manufacturers Lerum and Nora. Coop also has its own variant.
All three have 40 percent strawberries or raspberries.
In Nora’s bottles, there is actually more sugar than fruit; 44 grams per 100 grams.
Coop has 43 grams and Lerum has 42.6 grams of sugar. Some of the sugar is naturally occurring in the fruit, while the rest is added.
Too unhealthy for the EU
All three will likely be banned in Norway. They are simply too unhealthy.
– New rules have been adopted in the EU that require more fruit in jam. When these will be adopted in Norway is uncertain, says Margrethe Hovda Røed, senior advisor in the section for biological food safety at the Food Safety Authority.
At the end of May, the EU introduced regulations that require a minimum of 450 grams of fruit per kilo of jam.
MORE FRUIT: The EU demands more strawberries in the jam. Photo: Ståle Winterkjær/TV 2 hjelper deg
The commission that developed the regulations claims that this will promote healthier eating habits and support the fruit market in the EU.
– Completely crazy
Nora already has a variant with extremely lower sugar content; only 27 grams compared to 44 grams in the “original.”
This is sold at the low-cost chain Extra:
– We are focused on having what customers demand, and that customers should have the choice, says communications advisor Simen Kjønnås Thorsen at Coop.
CHOICE: Simen Kjønnås Thorsen says Coop offers the lower sugar variant. Photo: Espen Solli
But the lower sugar variant is not sold at either Kiwi or Rema 1000.
– It’s completely crazy that they don’t offer this. It should be made easier to choose a better alternative, claims Sundfør.
But she is unfortunately not surprised that the variant with the most sugar is the one that prevails:
NOT SURPRISED: Nutritionist Tine Sundfør points out that berries are more expensive than sugar. Photo: Anita Sælø
– It’s cheaper to produce because berries are more expensive than sugar, and we know that what most influences consumption is price. This is particularly relevant in these expensive times, says the nutritionist.
New squeeze variant
Lerum, which is sold at Kiwi and Meny, has also had squeeze jam with more fruit and less sugar
– But it was on the market only for a short time due to low sales, says CEO Trine Lerum Hjellhaug of Lerum and adds:
– We are in the process of finalizing a squeeze variant with significantly less sugar. Our goal is to launch this by 2025, and we hope that the chains will carry it.
NEW JAM: Lerum will come out with a squeeze variant with less sugar. Photo: Ståle Winterkjær/TV 2 hjelper deg
It is uncertain whether the low-cost chains Kiwi and Rema 1000 will carry squeeze bottles with lower sugar content.
– We have tested several variants in our shelves, including squeeze variants with reduced sugar content. Unfortunately, this product was not preferred by customers and therefore was removed from the assortment, says Ingvill Måkestad Bovim, head of health and nutrition at Rema 1000.
– At Kiwi, the customer is the boss, and it is customer demand that drives which products we have on the shelves, says communications advisor Katrine Lunde Isum at Kiwi.
Extreme price difference
What they do not mention is the enormous price difference between squeeze bottles with low and high sugar content.
At Extra, the Coop jam with a lot of sugar costs 26.80 NOK, and Nora Less Sugar costs 44.50 NOK. The one with less sugar is thus 66 percent more expensive.
One might wonder if the grocery chains make much more profit on the healthier options? Due to competition laws, they refuse to comment on this.
– Reinstate sugar tax
Nutritionist Tine Sundfør has been a part of a government-appointed expert group that has prepared a report on better diets.
– It requires bold politicians who dare to make legal changes to encourage people to eat healthier. I believe that the sugar tax should be reinstated so that the unhealthier alternatives with the most sugar become more expensive than the healthier alternatives with less sugar.
She urges parents to be especially vigilant with their children.
– Small children need fewer calories than adults. Therefore, they have less room for sugar.
10 percent sugar
Sundfør recommends making the jam yourself:
– I only use 10 percent sugar in my jam. Instead of sugar for preservation, I freeze the jam. It’s a bit more expensive to buy berries, but in the fall, I picked both blueberries and raspberries in the forest, which is completely free.
Nora also sells a frozen variant of crushed strawberries. It has a whopping 82 grams of fruit per 100 grams.
Food influencer Kristoffer Gregersen has found a couple of other favorites:
– Here at home, we buy Askim strawberry jam, which has 60 percent strawberries and 33.5 percent sugar, or Hervik, which has 70 percent strawberries and only 19 percent added sugar. But before I became aware, I also bought these squeeze bottles. It was because I did what so many others do; I looked at price and what was quick and easy.
MANY BERRIES: Hervik has created a variant without sweeteners, but with 80 percent strawberries. Photo: Ståle Winter
Promises improvement
All three low-cost chains promise that they are prepared to comply with the new EU regulations and assure that they are working to reduce the sugar content in jams. Among other things, they have variants with 80 percent fruit and artificial sweeteners.
They do not feel the need to reinstate the sugar tax.
Lerum says that since 2019 they have reduced sugar consumption by 840 tons and are working to reduce this further.