Norway butter shortage threatens Christmas treats
Norway: An acute butter shortage in Norway, one of the world's
richest countries, has left people worrying how to bake their Christmas
goodies with store shelves emptied and prices through the roof.
The shortfall, expected to last into January, amounts to between 500
and 1,000 tonnes, said Tine, Norway's main dairy company, while online
sellers have offered 500-gramme packs for up to 350 euros ($465).
The dire shortage poses a serious challenge for Norwegians who are
trying to finish their traditional Christmas baking -- a task which
usually requires them to make at least seven different kinds of
biscuits.
The shortfall has been blamed on a rainy summer that cut into feed
production and therefore dairy output, but also the ballooning
popularity of a low-carbohydrate, fat-rich diet that has sent demand for
butter soaring.
"Compared to 2010, demand has grown by as much as 30 percent," Tine
spokesman Lars Galtung told AFP. AFP
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