The food group Mondelez, which owns Freia, is on the blacklist of the anti-corruption authorities in Ukraine. They believe that the company contributes money to the Russian treasury. The company continued with its operations in Russia even after the Russian invasion in February 2022. They will have around 3,000 employees in the country. These companies stop selling Freia products: SAS Norwegian Hotel chain Strawberry Den Norske Turistforening (DNT) SJ Norge Hotel chain Classic Norway Hotels Norges Football Association (NFF) Topfotball Kvinner Elkjøp Hurtigruten Airline Norse Fjord Line These are considering a boycott: Travel Retail Norway, which operates the duty-free shops in Noreg Togselskapet Vy Norgesgruppen Hennig-Olsen has asked for a meeting with Freia to discuss the matter Requests a meeting Coop is now asking for an early meeting with the Minister of Industry, Jan Christian Vestre. This is revealed in a press release. – We need advice and clarifications on how the Norwegian authorities want us and Norwegian consumers to stick to companies that are blacklisted by Ukraine. They add that they do not wish to support Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, either directly or indirectly. – If this specific case had been a simple trade-off, then I would have already banned Mondelez. In this case, we know that an exclusion from the grocery and kiosk market will affect many Norwegian workplaces and Norwegian consumers through the fact that many goods will disappear from shops for what could be a longer period. The Ministry of Trade and Fisheries confirms to Børsen that it is the Ministry of Foreign Affairs that took over the inquiry from Coop. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs tells news that together with the Ministry of Trade and Fisheries they will open a dialogue meeting on the subject to meet Norwegian business. Neither Rema nor Norgesgruppen took any action, and emphasize that they comply with Norwegian sanctions. Vy and Travel Retail Norway, which operate duty-free shops at airports such as Gardermoen, Flesland and Værnes, are also considering Freia’s future in their outlets. Quick lunch break The Norwegian Tourist Association held a meeting on the collaboration on Saturday. There it was decided that they will stop the collaboration until further notice. – DNT condemns Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, and we expect our partners to support fundamental values such as democracy, peace and international law. As long as Mondelez International does not want to stop its operations in Russia, we cannot have an active collaboration on Kvikk Lunsj, says Dag Terje Klarp Solvang, secretary general of DNT. Dag Terje Klarp Solvang in DNT says this will have major financial consequences. Photo: Jøte Toftaker / news He says DNT has had a collaboration with Kvikk Lunsj since 1960, and that they will consider resuming the dialogue with Freia if Mondelez is removed from the blacklist. – This has major financial consequences for the Tourist Association, says Solvang to news. Mondelez wrote in a press release that it is “extra sad that we have to pause the collaboration with DNT”. Norwegians eat an average of nine plates of Quick Lunch a year, and three of these are used at Easter, according to NTB. Toppfotball puts collaboration on pause At the end of May, Toppfotball Kvinner launched a collaboration with Freia. On Friday, they sent out a press release in which they said that the collaboration had been put on hold. They base the breach of cooperation on the fact that they have become aware that Mondelez has factories in Russia. – Me in Toppfotball Kvinner stand shoulder to shoulder with Ukraine and our football friends in their fight for freedom against Russia. This decision is due to the fact that Mondelez International has been added to Ukraine’s list of companies operating in Russia, says daily manager Hege Jørgensen. TFK has notified Freia of the decision, which means that all campaigns and all forms of profiling will be suspended. – Until Mondelez International has shut down its factories in Russia, I don’t see that we can continue our collaboration with Freia, she insists. – Both parties understand that this situation is very difficult. We have therefore agreed to put the campaign on hold until the factories are closed, she concludes. Will not sell Freia at Ullevaal Also elsewhere in football, Freia is in the freezer. At the upcoming international matches at Ullevaal against Scotland (June 17) and Cyprus (June 20), there will be no Freia product on sale. Communications manager Yngve Haavik at the Norwegian Football Association emphasizes that Freia is not a direct collaboration partner, but a product supplier. – They have been a good supplier of quality products to the NFF’s kiosk hall. We still cannot get away from the fact that Freia’s owner, Mondelez, operates in Russia and has ended up on Ukraine’s blacklist. In any case, we will have a constructive dialogue with Freia going forward, says Haavik to news. The NFF stands behind Uefa’s decision to suspend all Russian football clubs and national teams from European tournaments. The Danish Football Association has also seen its cooperation with Mondelez on pause. Mondelez also owns the chocolate Toblerone. Photo: Alastair Grant / AP Recognize that it is emotionally charged – We recognize that this is an emotionally charged matter and fully respect that there are different opinions on the matter, Mondelez International, which is the owner of Freia, wrote to news. – It is nevertheless important to state that Freia is a Norwegian brand, produced at Rodeløkka in Oslo, based on Norwegian milk. Production cannot take place in Russia, they claim. Mondelez International says that they will consider necessary adjustments to operations. – Our owner company, Mondelez International, complies with all political decisions and sanctions, and will continue to consider necessary adjustments to operations to ensure that we fully comply with this. – Like many other companies, we have maintained limited operations in Russia, but we have ended capital investments and advertising. We have always condemned the brutal war. At the same time, we have contributed to maintaining the food supply through our products, which are long-lasting foodstuffs for ordinary people, they conclude.
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Freia is being boycotted in more and more places – news Norway – Overview of news from various parts of the country
