Distributed food to the poor – punished with a fee of SEK 75,000

Published 2 December 2024 at 18.57

Law & Right. The city of Gothenburg has decided that the Smyrna parish must pay a maximum sanction fee of SEK 75,000 for having distributed food bags without permission. The decision has been met with criticism and has led to a collection where double the amount – 150,000 kroner – has already been donated by private individuals and companies.

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– We have received massive support, both from companies and individuals. It is the ordinary Swede who has woken up and is upset and wonders if this could be true, says the Smyrna congregation's pastor, Mats Särnholm, to Dagens Nyheter.

He states that the congregation, which distributed food to the needy in over a decade, has been unaware that the business required registration under the Food Act.

– We of course want to comply with the law, says Särnholm, who believes the fee is unreasonable high.

The 150,000 kroner was collected after the Christian newspaper Dagen drew attention to the penalty fee, which was the highest possible.

The congregation has now sent in a registration form and is considering appealing the decision.< /p>

According to Gothenburg's environmental management, however, it is the responsibility of every food business to know the regulations.

Angelica Winter, head of department for food inspection, points out for DN that the fee is based on the business's annual turnover and that the administration has acted in accordance with the law.

The Christian Democrats' municipal councilor in Gothenburg, Elisabet Lann, has become involved in the issue. She believes that there may be room to weigh social and ethical considerations into the sanction fee.