More and more people are asking for help with food in Norway
The queue outside the food center in Tromsø is longer than in a long time.
One of the people standing patiently waiting to be let into the shop is Brynjar Johansen, a father of three.
– Today there were a lot of vegetables, yoghurt and eggs here, he explains.
– Free food is a great offer from the food centre. I’m here every week, says Johnsen.
He is the sole breadwinner of three young children. He is clear that the situation is difficult.
– If it hadn’t been for the food centre, me and the children wouldn’t have managed. That’s how precarious it is. I have used this offer for several years now, he says.
– How is it to get here?
– Now it’s going well. At first it was embarrassing. It was a threshold to realize that I had to do this. Admitting that everyday life doesn’t go round. Having to depend on others, says the father of three.
Depending on help
Brynjar estimates that around 70 per cent of the contents of the fridge at home have been received from the food center in Tromsø.
– The rest, which I supplement with, I buy myself. I get quite a lot of food, he says.
– What do your children think about you having to go to the food centre?
– They think it’s fantastic. They have no problem with that. They are very surprised by the fact that it is free and that it costs nothing, says Johansen.
A reasonably traveled and stressed man enters the back door of the shop. He has his hands full of boxes.
It is general manager Geir Arne Skogeng Nordstrand who has rushed around Tromsø to collect food.
– It is surreal
This will again be distributed to those who are struggling now. He barely has time for a chat.
He confirms that the queues outside the store are longer now than when Tromsø Matsentral opened in 2016.
– There has been an increase. Especially the last seven to eight weeks.
– Around 450 households use us every week. 1,000 households use us at least once a month, says Nordstrand.
– What do you think about the development?
– It is very sad that Norway is in such a situation. It’s a bit surreal. We have become the first-line offer for people to get food on the table, says Nordstrand.
Matsentralen Norge is a network consisting of eight food centers around the country.
The aim is to help the food industry reduce food waste, and non-profit organizations to reduce poverty.
It will be a long winter
– I think the queues will fill up with even more people in the future. People who have managed well so far, says Nordstrand.
– People are feeling increased expenses, and it will be a long winter. The latest rent increase has not yet arrived, he says.
For many, it is difficult to stand in the queue to be about free food.
– It is not shameful to be poor. It’s just crazy, he says.
Today he received a visit and some pleasant news from the Minister of Agriculture and Food Sandra Borch (Sp).
The government is now increasing the allocations to the Food Centers in Norway by NOK five million in 2022.
These are in addition to the two million that were allocated earlier this autumn.
– Increased prices for electricity and food affect the everyday life of those who have had the least. In order to meet the situation, the government will give additional support of 20 million to organizations that help people in a difficult situation, says Boch.
Five million in extra support for the country’s food centers this year.
– With the five new million today, it means that the Food Centers together will receive an extra seven million this year, says Sandra Borch, Minister of Agriculture and Food to TV 2.
The help comes in handy.
The food center in Tromsø gets over half a million extra out of five.
– This is money we didn’t have, but which should contribute to us being able to do something for even more people, says Nordstrand.
– Is this enough?
– It’s better than nothing. We can help more people a little more, says Nordstrand.
Brynjar Johansen, father of three, has also received the good news.
He thinks it is good that more money is now coming to those who need it most. Among other things, the food center has plans to expand to Finnmark.
– All you have to do is say hooray! This is good news, he says.
Today there will be fishcakes for dinner for him and the children.
– I have them in the freezer from before. I’ve got potatoes now, so that’s fine. This will be good, he says.
– It’s getting close to Christmas. Do you have any thoughts about this with additional costs in connection?
– Now I am so lucky that I get help from the food centre. If it hadn’t been for that, Christmas would have been sparse. The help comes in very handy, says the father of three.