Posted on 02/17/2005 10:06:45 AM PST by franksolich
Norway's giant dairy cooperative TINE was raided Wednesday by competition investigators bearing warrants.
The near-monopolist dairy producers have been in the media spotlight after accusations of unfair business practices and trying to smother competition.
TINE's offices were ransacked by authorities and documents confiscated, radio station P4 reported. The discount grocery chain REMA 1000 was also visited by the authority. REMA recently revoked a new policy of only stocking TINE products and dropping competitor Synnove Finden's cheeses.
TINE communications director Bjørg Bruset confirmed that the NCA (Norwegian Competition Authority) had paid them a visit and left with computer data, printed documents and notebooks.
"We put everything at their disposal," Bruset said. The NCA had made earlier visits to secure internal documents but the Wednesday raid was the first time that there was legal backing for securing evidence, according to Bruset.
"Nevertheless we have given them full access to all documents earlier as well. We have nothing to hide in this case," Bruset said.
NCA communications director Signe Horn told Aftenposten's web edition that evidence had been secured in connection with the complaint filed by dairy Synnove Finden, alleging abuse of market position.
TINE has also received much criticism, and lost much consumer sympathy and business, after it became know that they offered ICA and Rimi grocery chains NOK 16 million to remove Synnøve Finden wares from their shelves.
Neither Horn nor Bruset would confirm the P4 report that searches had also taken place at the homes of certain TINE employees.
TINE, which gets its name from the traditional wooden container used in Norway to preserve butter and cheese, is Norway's largest producer and exporter of dairy products, including the internationally renowned Jarlsberg cheese. In 2001 TINE was voted most powerful and best-known trademark brand and in 2004 was voted the most trusted and respected by consumers.
The TINE dairy cooperative represents five major companies and over 19,000 dairy farmers and is Norway's largest food industry.
This touches a soft spot within me, because even though Nebraska produces 100% of the edible beef that is produced in America (just as Norway produces 100% of the edible fish that is produced in Europe), I am a dairy-and-poultry man, myself.
Ping for the Norway ping list.
By the way, I heartily suggest that in addition to reading the Norway articles here, that one punch on the Aftenposten link, which is full of photographs and other good stuff; even better than the New York Times or Lost Angeles Times.
Ah their orange-juice sucks anyway.
Oh, and Scottish salmon is way better than Norwegian :)
Andrew
A matter of taste, sir.
I had ample opportunity to catch a whiff of Scots fish the three winters I spent in that delightful land--contrary to popular belief, the Scots are some of the most warm-hearted, open-handed, tolerant people one can meet--at least in those bleak, desolate islands far to the north (I stay away from cities).
Trust me, sir; until one has dined upon succulent Norwegian fish, one has no idea what "good fish" is.
A matter of taste, sir.
I had ample opportunity to catch a whiff of Scots fish the three winters I spent in that delightful land--contrary to popular belief, the Scots are some of the most warm-hearted, open-handed, tolerant people one can meet--at least in those bleak, desolate islands far to the north (I stay away from cities).
Trust me, sir; until one has dined upon succulent Norwegian fish, one has no idea what "good fish" is.
How can something like this happen in the World's Most Livable Country?
Yeah I live in Trondheim, so I've tried out Norwegian salmon :)
In a restaurant, the salmon's great, but that's true most everywhere. The stuff out of Norwegian supermarkets is horrific. Not just the fish: the dairy, the poultry, the beef. The supermarkets out here couldn't stay in business ten seconds in most countries.
Andrew
I don't think I'd last more than two weeks on the foods available in Norway. I can't stand fish more than maybe once a week, and they have no good S.D. grass-fed beef there.
Yeesh, I hope this doesn't cause Jarlsberg prices to jump. :P
Well, now, sir, there's plenty of "bragging rights" for everybody here, and South Dakota has a lot to brag about.
Seriously folks, if you want "scenery," the state to the north of Nebraska, has it all--from the plains to the mountains. If one wants prairie grass, or trees, he can have his choice in the vacationland of America, the wonderful state of South Dakota.
And so clean too.
South Dakota, my second-favorite state in the union.
But on the matter of beef, well.....we lost our "bragging rights" about having one of the premier college football programs in the nation when Frank Solich, the then-winningest active college football coach in the country, was unceremoniously fired (the smallest state in the union with a major college football program; five national championships in 25 years--such will never happen again, in my lifetime).
But we still have "bragging rights" about our beef.
You don't think Callahan can get the Husker's back on top? I agree that it was pure foolishness letting Solich go. I like S.D. beef because it's whats in my freezer.
I can't remember any specific instances of bad fish, but yes - the beef on the continent is awful stuff. I was in France for a few months. Most food was excellent, except I had the hardest time finding a decent steak. Even the famed "steak frites" meal came with a chewy piece of horsemeat. The only place I found that was any good...excellent, actually...was a restaurant that imported Argentinean beef.
No way, sir, will Callahan be able to resurrect Nebraska football.
Nebraska football is deader than a dead fish.
No "slam" on poor Callahan himself; he is just merely a tool, a puppet, of the arrogant athletic director, and does what he is told to do.
Whereas Frank Solich was Nebraska through-and-through (although born and raised in Ohio), Callahan is from.....California. How well does anything from California "play" around here?
The biggest mistake the arrogant athletic director made (after the most obvious one, firing one of the finest football coaches in the nation), was abolishing the "walk-on" system, which allowed everyone and anyone to try out for the Nebraska Cornhuskers.
Some of our biggest stars, sir, our best players--this is all history now, of course--were modest unassuming anonymous kids from the farm (6-man teams, 8-man teams, from small towns) who just showed up to try out, and were discovered to have great talent.
Alas, Nebraska football is history now.
The French, sir, are not large buyers of Nebraska beef, the finest in the world. It is too good, too exquisite, too delicious, too mouth-watering, for their sensitive French palates, which seem to prefer dead snails.
Funny you mention food in Scandinavia...
The supermarkets on the island of Gotland, Sweden that I visited were quite horrible as well. Maybe it had something to do with being on an island? But I was in the main city of Visby, although it was the dead of winter.
Stockholm shops had a much better selection, I thought. I'd like to travel to Norway and Finland soon. I have many Swedish friends, and my closest friend's girlfriend is a Sámi, so I would get to experience that culture from the inside, as well.
Have you guys ever travelled to Lapland?
Wish any of us could have been so fortunate, sir, to visit Lapland. But it appears that even the Norwegians on the "Norway ping list" (holler if anyone wishes to be included; the "Norway ping list" is the "country club list" here), have never visited Lapland.
Sort of like how many Americans avoid Nebraska, the Norway of America, without knowing all they are missing.
I purchased a book the day before yesterday (Tuesday), about all the places to see in Norway, and much to my disappointment, the book listed all these "tourist traps" and "artists' colonies."
One wonders if there is a square inch of Norway, somewhere, where the Birkenstock-REI-Cabela's-Ben&Jerry's ice cream crowd do not penetrate.
When I make it there I will be certain to let you know how it is!
Canada and Mexico are the only foreign countries I've been to. Canada ain't very foreign, neither. I'd love to visit Norway.
By all means, pleasse do report back, sir, because I am rather dubious of the claims of the "guidebooks" about Norway, which seem skewed more towards the Birkenstock-Ben&Jerry's crowd than towards those of us who wish to see life in Norway in its pristine state.
Never heard that Scottish food are that great. Your problem is that Norwegian are way more effiecent when it comes to fish farming and fishing. You cannot compete thats why the EU have extra taxes on our exports. The Scotts are just not cost effiecent enough. Just face it
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