Norwegian Grocery Stores: The Hidden Truth Behind Farmer’s Favorite Potato Chips Revealed!

Norwegian grocery stores compete not only on price, but also on selection and being able to offer the best products.

If you shop at Rema often, you’ve probably seen “Farmer’s Favorite Potato Chips” on the store shelves. “Produced by Sørlandschips exclusively for Rema 1000”, it says at the top left of the package.

If you are at a Kiwi shop, then you are not allowed to buy farmer’s chips there. There, however, they sell a product that you won’t find at Rema, namely “Thynn & Sprø”. The chips are “Developed in collaboration with Sørlandschips exclusively for Kiwi”, the package promises.

But if we compare these salty variations, there is not much that shows exclusion.

So the chips come from the same factory, and if we look at the nutritional content, it is identical, right down to the decimal point:

– In this case, there are different types of salt that separate them from each other, writes a press release for Sørlandschips, Sofie Oraug-Rygh, in an email to Nettavisen.

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Going through the same preparation at the factory

So they are the ones who make the “exclusive chips” for both chains. It should be said that the farmer’s chips at Rema, according to the nutritional content, include 7 kilocalories more per 100 grams (524 vs. 517). In addition, the Rema variant is flavored with Himalayan salt after the chips are fried, while the Kiwi version has added sea salt.

– But both preparation and chip thickness are exactly the same? So the only thing that separates them is the type of salt?

– That’s right, answered Oraug-Rygh.

Kiwi: – We were not aware of this

When Nettavisen asks Kiwis what they think about this, communications manager Nora Helgesen replies:

– We were not aware that the results were so similar, and we will look at this together with the supplier.

Read also: That’s why you won’t find M&M’s at Kiwi or Rema

A few hours later, she writes in another email:

– These two products have different types of salt and weight, so we think they are not completely comparable.

In terms of weight: The Farmer’s bag weighs 180 grams, while the Tynn & Sprø weighs 150 grams.

Rema:- They can be like him

Nettavisen has asked both Kiwi and Rema for a phone conversation, but both have chosen to respond via email. Arild Blindheim, category and purchasing director for, among other things, chips at Rema, believes that the chips they offer are different from those at Kiwi. Few raw materials make the chips have the same nutritional content, down to the decigram, he believes:

– Bondens is a line of products from Rema, which currently has 5 different types/flavors. This has been established for many years. Salt is one of the variations, and it has been popular with customers for many years. This variation is similar to Tynn og Sprø, but we still think it is different. Salt/spice sizes and bags vary. It is important to clarify that potato chips contain some raw materials, potatoes, salt/spices and oil. When we then compare salted potato crisps, it is perhaps not surprising that these are similar, wrote Blindheim.

– Did you know about the collaboration between Kiwi and Sørlandschips, which is clearly somewhat similar to your own collaboration with Sørlandschips, and which ultimately means that you offer about the same result?

– We know they are cooperating, but we do not interfere with what the competitors do with the products as long as they do not copy ours, writes Blindheim, and say:

– We see no problem with offering two varieties with a salty taste. We see that there are big differences in sales volumes, and it seems very clear that customers prefer our Himalayan Farmer salt.

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– Does the same thing mean that customers are left with fewer choices in the shops, or do you think that the man in the street can tell the difference between sea salt and Himalayan salt?

– We believe that customers experience this as two different products within the salted potato crisps category.

The experts are skeptical about the move

Professor at the Norwegian School of Economics, Øystein Foros, tells Nettavisen that he does not have deep knowledge of the chips, and is therefore speaking in general terms:

– It may be surprising how effective it is to use terms like “exclusive” and “exclusive” for such products. For most users, it may seem like it’s overstepping something that is very normal and common, says Foros.

He also believes that the Sørlandschips brand on the product means that customers will not think of this as the chains own brands (EMV).

Social economist and food researcher at ALO-Analyse, Ivar Fredrik Pettersen, tells Nettavisen that he believes that quality differences are imaginary, and perhaps also real, between the two types of chips. He also believes that there is a similarity between Kiwi and Rema, so that the liberators can set the prices. The Kiwi variant cost 21.90 when Nettavisen bought it, and the heavier 30 gram Rema variant cost 24.90.

– Consumers are slightly misled by believing very small differences that are reinforced through packaging, product names, shelf placement and advertising, often also with different prices being charged for approximately the same product. The producers benefit from this, the competition becomes weaker and the products become more expensive for consumers, says Pettersen to Nettavisen.

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– Consumers are definitely losing out on imaginary product differences, while real differences offer more choice. But when the real differences are small and the number of changes is large, it is likely that everyone will lose because resources are wasted on a useless product area, said Pettersen.

But is it possible to do something about this?

– Almost nothing in particular. The reason is that it is difficult for a regulatory authority to distinguish between real and imaginary product differences. What we can hope for is that there will be a new grocery concept that, for example, will mainly sell so-called generic products, that is, where all the difference is in quality revolves around the visible and physical characteristics of the product itself, and no one should think that the products are different because of brand names or packaging. But if this is going to happen, we consumers must convince those who can invest in grocery sales and production that we want something like this, concluded Pettersen.

For the record: Both chip versions are clearly different from Sørlandschips’ original sea salt version, as the original uses coconut oil. Sunflower oil is used in the chips discussed here. The original variant also stands out in terms of nutritional content, with six grams less fat (but more saturated), more carbohydrates and more sugar, as well as more protein and salt content.