Finnish retailers are staying out of a Nordic boycott of Mondelez food products over the company's Russian connection.
Ukraine's labelling of Mondelez as a war sponsor last month prompted Sweden's boycott of the American multinational.
Mondelez, which is behind popular brands like Marabou, Daim, O'boy cocoa, Oreo and Philadelphia cream cheese, paid Russia 60 million dollars in taxes last year.
In Sweden, the boycott against the snackmaker is expanding. All major Swedish amusement parks and the city of Gothenburg recently said they're boycotting Mondelez for its continued presence in Russia. Ikea stores in Sweden and Norway have said they'll no longer carry Mondelez products. Ikea Finland on Saturday told Yle its stores will also stop selling Mondelez chocolates Daim and Marabou.
"Our cooperation with the manufacturer in question has been discontinued, but at this time Daim and Marabou chocolate products are still available in some IKEA stores in Finland. These products will be removed from our offering, and in the future, they will be replaced with alternative products from another manufacturer," Ikea Finland spokesperson Tarja Vuorenmaa told Yle via email.
Swedish politicians are also weighing in on the debate surrounding the company's Russian connection. The country's Finance Minister, Elisabeth Svantesson, told Sweden's TT news agency that people had a right to know more about a product's background.
"It is important to know what you're supporting when buying certain goods. Now we have received information that this may benefit Russia's war chest," Svantesson said.
Finnish firms uninterested
In Finland, the boycott does not seem to interest major grocery store chains. Yle asked the K and S groups as well as Lidl whether their stores should, like in Sweden, inform customers about products connected to Russia's war of aggression. None of the retail chains said they saw any reason for this, as the Mondelez products being sold in Finland are not manufactured in Russia.
Yle also asked the Finnish retail chains how their collaboration with Mondelez aligns with sustainability commitments published on their websites.
The S Group, K Group and Lidl all said that they respect human rights, among other things. K Group specifically mentioned that they "challenge their suppliers and encourage their customers to make responsible choices throughout the entire value chain."
None of the retail chains responded to Yle's question regarding whether selling Mondelez products aligns with their ethical commitments.
This past Thursday Swedish national broadcaster SVT reported Mondelez announcing that it would separate its Russian operations from the rest of the company.