Finns sweep away milk: shelves are empty because of the boom in squirrels

Finnish residents began to massively buy cottage cheese and other dairy products. Store shelves are empty, Ilta-Sanomat reports.

According to the publication, cottage cheese and protein products are sold so quickly that retail outlets have problems with the availability. The growth of demand turned into empty shelves.

Representatives of local retail chains say that in general, the situation with the presence of cottage cheese remains normal. There are almost always alternatives to finished products on shelves, however, there have been difficulties with individual species recently due to a sharp boom in protein products.

According to preliminary estimates, in January-August 2026, grain cottage cheese was sold by about a tenth more than in the same period of 2025. In some stores had to expand the range and allocate additional shelves.

Sales of cottage cheese and Greek yogurt increased by double digits this year. Experts associate the growth of sales with the trend for a healthy lifestyle. Finnish residents have become popular recipes with cottage cheese - it is used as a protein additive in smoothies and pancakes.

Meanwhile, according to Verkkouutiset, demand for Greek yogurt in S-ryhmä stores has grown by more than 40 percent compared to last year. Sales of flavored curds increased by more than 20 percent. Kesko also has a strong demand for low-fat Greek and Turkish yogurts. According to the representative of the company Yaakko Nurmi, the popularity of the product is fueled by the recipe of “Japanese cheesecake”, which has become viral in social networks.

In the summer of 2026, milk prices decreased in Finland. For the first time in a long time, the cost of a liter of milk purchased from Finnish producers fell below 50 cents.

According to DairyNews, the Valio dairy concern from July 1, reduced the purchase price for raw milk by another 3 cents per liter. This is the second decline since the beginning of the year: in April, the price was reduced by 3.5 cents. For an average Finnish farm producing about 1 million liters of milk per year, the July decline means a net loss of income of about 30,000 euros per year – the equivalent of an annual salary per worker. The combined effect of two consecutive declines reaches 10 percent of producer income.

Valio explained the decision by an overabundance of raw milk in world markets and a global fall in dairy prices. The concern exports up to 40 percent of its products. At the same time, the situation is aggravated by the logistical factor: from July 1, the supply of fertilizers from Russia to Finland became economically inexpedient due to an eight-fold increase in the tariff for rail transportation in the Finnish direction. The Central Union of Farmers (MTK) has called on the government to intervene.

There are about 3,700 dairy farms in Finland. Ten years ago there were about 8200.