Norway is known for its stunning natural beauty, its commitment to sustainability, and its high-quality products and services. But how do consumers and businesses around the world know if something is truly Norwegian?

Enter the Made in Norway label, the official origin label administered by Innovation Norway.

This label is a registered trademark that assures products and services are authentically Norwegian and produced according to strict standards of responsibility and sustainability.

For businesses, the label is an important stamp of origin that proves commitment to ethical practices, environmental responsibility, and quality. For consumers, it’s a guarantee that they’re supporting sustainable and responsible Norwegian companies.

Why Origin Labels Matter

Norway has a global reputation for its pristine landscapes, high living standards, and forward-thinking approach to environmental and social responsibility.

The Made in Norway label was created to capitalise on this positive image, giving businesses that meet the criteria an edge in the international marketplace.

In a world where consumers are increasingly aware of where their products come from and how they’re made, origin labels are growing in importance. By carrying such a stamp, companies can differentiate themselves and appeal to customers looking for responsibly produced goods and services. Does it work? Only time will tell!

The labelling scheme is part of an export reform program, launched by then Minister of Industry Jan Christian Vestre in March 2022. The aim of the reform is to increase Norwegian exports that are not oil and gas by 50% by 2030.

Criteria for ‘Made in Norway'

Not just any company can use the Made in Norway label. Businesses must meet several strict requirements to ensure their products or services are truly Norwegian and ethically produced.

To be eligible, companies must:

• Ensure their product or service meets origin requirements. This means a significant portion of the product or service must be created in Norway.
• Conduct risk assessments to avoid adverse impacts on people, society, and the environment as a result of their operations.
• Implement an internal control system to manage any identified risks.
• Have ethical guidelines in place to ensure responsible business practices.
• Ensure their products or services contribute to advancing at least one of the UN (SDGs), while avoiding any significant harm in relation to the six environmental objectives outlined in the EU Taxonomy.

This makes the Made in Norway label more than just a mark of geographic origin. It signals that the company is committed to ethical and sustainable practices that benefit society and the planet.

Industry-Specific Requirements

Different industries have tailored criteria they must meet to use the label. Here’s how it breaks down:

• Nutrition (food, beverages, dietary supplements): At least 80% of the product’s weight must come from Norway, and a key processing step must occur within the country.
• Manufactured goods (furniture, textiles, sensors): At least 60% of the manufacturing and raw material costs must originate from Norway. Additionally, an essential manufacturing step must take place in Norway.
• Services (software, digital solutions): At least 60% of the costs for developing and delivering the service must come from Norway.

These criteria ensure that the Made in Norway label is only awarded to products and services that are predominantly Norwegian in their origins and operations.

Products & Services ‘Made in Norway'

There is already a carrying the ‘Made in Norway' label. Here are some you might recognise:

Andøya Spaceport: Located above the Arctic Circle, Andøya Spaceport is Norway’s hub for launching satellites and conducting space research. Its new launch pad is completely made in Norway, as project manager explained:

“The planning phase was done by Polarkonsult from Harstad, the retractable shelter has been built by Karstein Kristiansen, a local contractor, and the steerable launch rail is being built by Oil-Tech AS in Stavanger.”

Havila Voyages: Havila offers cruises and local transport along the Norwegian coastal route using state-of-the-art vessels featuring some of the largest battery packs at sea.

CEO Bent Martini says the company is “extremely proud” to be part of the scheme: “Our company is Norwegian owned with roots from decades of Norwegian business. The Havila Group has long contributed to value creation and jobs along the Norwegian coast, which has culminated in the Havila Voyages venture.”

“Every day on our route, we help increase business activity for our suppliers and the ports we visit. We serve locally sourced food onboard, where we work daily to reduce food waste as much as possible – because it's good for the environment and economically sensible,” he adds.

Hurtigruten Norway: A symbol of Norwegian seafaring heritage, Hurtigruten Norway is a famous brand operating on the 130-year Norwegian coastal route.

´³Ã¸³Ù³Ü±ô: ´³Ã¸³Ù³Ü±ô has a long and proud history of producing cast iron stoves and fireplaces dating back to 1853. Over the years, Norwegian tradition and solid craftsmanship have been key in making ´³Ã¸³Ù³Ü±ô’s products the natural choice for customers worldwide.

Mack: Founded in 1877, Mack is one of the most famous breweries in Norway. Based in and around Tromsø, it is one of the world's northernmost commercial breweries.

Myken: Nestled on a tiny island off the coast of northern Norway, Myken is home to the world’s first Arctic distillery. Known for its whiskey and gin, Myken uses desalinated seawater and renewable energy alongside traditional distilling techniques.

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51³Ô¹ÏÍø Show Episode 47: Paul Harrison from the Kelkoo Group joins the show to talk about shopping habits in Norway, from price sensitivity to mobile payments and more.

Welcome to the latest episode of the 51³Ô¹ÏÍø Show, a podcast all about living in, working in, and visiting Norway. In this episode, I'm doing a deep dive into the world of shopping with fellow Brit Paul Harrison.

Paul lives in Oslo where he works for the Kelkoo group. We talk about how shopping habits differ between Norway and other countries, the supermarket experience in Norway, the state of online shopping in Norway, and a look at how our money and payments are rapidly moving online.

Read more: Norwegian Habits

Listen to the show

You can listen to the show using the web player below, or on your podcast player of choice. This includes: Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, (audio only), and now Spotify. Simply search for ‘life in Norway' on your platform of choice to get started.

Wherever you listen, don't forget to hit ‘subscribe' to ensure you don't miss an episode!

Here are some highlights from Paul's interview:

Introducing the Kelkoo group

Paul introduces , which is best known for its price comparison and e-commerce advertising services in Norway and many other countries:

“Kelkoo is one of the real original ‘dot com' companies, established in 1999. And ever since then, we've had a presence here in Norway, which is quite unusual, actually. We've always had this connection with Norway and being based in Oslo.”

“We have these great relationships with local retailers and shops. What we're able to do for them is send them people to their web shops, give them access to new audiences, new shoppers, and help them to convert those visitors into shoppers.”

Towards a “cashless Norway”

There are some very clear differences between shopping in Norway (and Scandinavia) and some other countries. One of the biggest is the use of cash, or lack of. Even on market stalls you can pay with Vipps, Norway's leading online payment system.

The recent change to Norway's banknotes is set to be the last. Paul says that Norway is in effect already a cashless society:

“The last time I used cash was about a month ago. I think we are way ahead of a lot of countries in terms of going cashless because Norwegians trust institutions and adopt new technology very quickly. Vipps is a good example of that for paying with your mobile phone, but it's also been widely adopted for person-to-person payments.”

Supermarket shopping in Norway

Paul points out that the dominance of several big players in essentially controls the choice and price levels in Norwegian supermarkets. He highlights some challengers, some of which have succeeded and some have not.

“More recently we've seen Iceland coming from the UK to offer different products and lower prices. I'm following them closely and they are having some success. They've got distribution now across every Circle K gas station in the country.”

Paul also mentions the online grocer kolonial.no that is seeing a lot of growth: “That sort of innovation is really exciting for me to see. I hope that they're successful, because again, they're offering choice, convenience, groceries delivered to your door. And I think that's really taking the challenge to the the big groups.”

Online shopping habits in Norway

Paul says he personally shops online almost exclusively using his mobile phone: “We've got such great connectivity speeds here, and that trust and ease of payments.Being able to click on something and not even enter your credit card details, just having the e-invoice sent to you later, is very, very convenient. So I value that.”

We also talk about some of the challenges in shopping on foreign online stores because of recent changes to the rules on VAT and import duty relating to imports. However, Paul points out the government has delayed removing the , meaning that low-value purchases remain exempt for the time being.

We also chat briefly about the , and what that might mean for the future of e-commerce in Scandinavia.

Links from the show

Some of the things we spoke about during the interview:

• website
• website
• Norway's new import VAT & duty rules
• The latest on the
• Follow Paul on  

If you enjoyed this show, why not share it on Pinterest so others can find it too?

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New to Norway? You'll want to get your head around the main grocery stores and supermarkets. Here's a rundown of the main chains and what to expect when doing your regular food shop.

Grocery shopping in Norway doesn’t always get the best press. There's regular news stories about Europe’s most expensive groceries, and expat forums abound with complaints on poor quality fresh produce and lack of variety.

I’m writing this article to allay some of those stereotypes and confirm others. But don’t worry, supermarkets here aren’t as daunting as you might expect!

The first thing to note is that grocery shops in Norway are readily accessible. In most major cities here, you are only ever a short walk from you nearest store. On the flip side, that means that the stores are generally smaller than you'll find in the UK and USA, for example.

Rema 1000

Rema 1000 is a discount supermarket that opened its first store in Trondheim in 1979. The chain has 868 stores in Norway with over 20,000 employees. Rema 1000 is under the umbrella of Reitan Group (Reitangruppen), taking the name from its founder Odd Reitan, one of Norway's wealthiest people.

The idea for store was originally inspired by the German supermarket chain Aldi. Rema 1000 started out with a limited range of products in order to drive prices lower; however, changes had to be made in order to adjustment to Norwegian market, so the product range was gradually increased.

Read more: 10 Ways to Save Money on Groceries in Norway

Rema 1000 remains one of the most popular supermarkets in the country. Its staff are often cheerful and friendly, and as a customer, this goes a long way. The chain has a blue colour scheme, one which is smart and immediately recognisable as ‘Rema blue’, it is a colour scheme that sets them apart from the competition.

If you're a regular customer of Rema 1000, it's well worth downloading their app, . Members get 10% off all fruit and veg, and your 10 most commonly bought items. There's also frequent members-only offers.

It's free to download and become an Æ member. What's more, by linking the app to your debit card, you automatically get the discount at checkout when paying with that card.

Coop

Founded in 1906 as NKL (Norges Kooperative Landasforening; Norwegian Cooperative Association), AS is one of the country’s biggest supermarket chains, with a revenue turnover of 30.041 billion NOK.

Coop have various different shop types and sizes, consisting of Coop Prix, Coop Extra and Coop Mega (smallest to biggest).

The main Coop stores have a red colour scheme and colleagues wear red uniforms. Coop is the supermarket that most reminds me of stores back in the U.K., both in terms of layout and how they promote their best prices.

In addition, Coop Norge AS also own Obs, a hypermarket store, often containing a hardware store. Obs has 33 locations scattered up and down the Norway. Another branch of the cooperative is the smaller grocery shop Matroken.

Kiwi

Kiwi is another of the big supermarket chains in Norway with almost 500 discount stores. It’s part of the NorgesGruppen, the same group that owns Meny, another supermarket, and the smaller convenience stores Joker and Mix.

This store is my first choice for groceries, and not just because I find it one of the cheapest. I find the layout of Kiwi shops are often easier to navigate too.

Kiwi has the brightest and most standout colour scheme of the big grocery stores in Norway. They have a green overall colour scheme, which I’ve always quite liked.

But the really eye-catching part of this has been reserved for the staff uniforms. Kiwi have opted for bright green t-shirts and green trousers. At some stores, or maybe this has since been discontinued, their colleagues wear an outrageous design of green chequered pants.

Bunnpris

Bunnpris is classed as a discount store, owned by I. K. Lykke AS. It has over 250 locations, mostly in central and northern parts of Norway and also in Oslo. Its shops in capital are smaller, operating like convenience stores, with a lot of products crammed in to a small floorspace – this allows them to open on Sundays.

The current CEO Trond Lykke, has had some kind of business operations in the family since 1830. Bunnpris opened its first store in 1981 in Trondheim, the success of the store facilitated mass expansion through other parts Norway.

Bunnpris’ colour scheme consists of yellow and black. I’ve used their stores mainly as a handy alternative to convenience stores on Sundays. Their weekly offers offer great discounts on everyday essentials.

Meny

As mentioned earlier, Meny is part of the NorgesGruppen, the group that also owns Kiwi, Joker and Mix. It opened its first store in Norway in 1992 and focuses mainly on fresh products.

Meny is a pleasant store, with the fresh fish and bakery section a particular favourite of mine. It's also a good option when you're looking for popular international foods that are hard to find elsewhere.

However, overall, I find the store a little overpriced, which leads me to shop there only once or twice each month.

Convenience stores in Norway

Aside from the big supermarkets, convenience stores in Norway are a big business. Some are open through the night and the shops that aren’t are often open until late. Importantly, these stores are often open on Sundays, unlike most of the supermarkets. For the exceptions, see below!

Read more: Norway's groceries are Europe's most expensive

In Oslo, you are never more than a kilometre or two away from a Deli de Luca, 7-eleven, Narvesen or Mix store. The most extreme case of this is evident on Holbergs Plass, where two 7-Eleven stores face each other on opposite sides of the road.

Prices in convenience stores are, rather predictably, quite high. The choice of products is also fairly slim, but you can usually buy bread, milk and so on. Just be sure to check the expiry dates! Most stores ansi offer hot food and pastries that you won't find in many regular supermarkets, along with coffee.

Foreign supermarkets in Norway

All big cities (and many smaller ones, too) also have supermarkets set up by enterprising immigrants. Whatever the origin of the owner, these stores tend to have a terrific selection of imported foods from around the world.

Most also have a good selection of fresh produce. In my experience, the fruit and veg at these stores can often be better quality than the chain stores, and there is certainly more variety. The fruit and veg is also much cheaper, and is rarely wrapped in plastic.

For you Brits out there missing the frozen beige food of the Iceland supermarket chain, you're in luck! There are a handful of Iceland stores now open in Norway. The prices are nowhere near as low as they are in the UK, but it offers frozen goods that are otherwise hard to find in Norway.

At the time of writing, there are four Iceland stores in the Oslo region (Asker, Bekkestua, St. Hanshaugen, Stovner) and one in Larvik. If you're not in the south-east, Iceland food is stocked in selected Europris outlets.

Sunday opening

As a general rule, supermarkets are not open on Sundays. That's because by Norwegian law, only retail stores below a certain size are able to open on Sundays. There has been talk of this law changing, but nothing has happened so far.

To be able to open on Sundays, some stores have special smaller sections that they open just on Sunday. This is most commonly seen with the Bunnpris chain. There is also a chain of smaller supermarkets called Joker, many of which open on Sundays. However, these are often more expensive and you should only shop for the essentials here.

Those supermarkets that do open on Sunday are often restricted to 10am-4pm or 11am-5pm opening hours.

Top tips for supermarket shopping in Norway

It is a cliché thing to say but shop around. All of the aforementioned stores have some kind of offers or special discount that rotates typically on a weekly basis. It’s just a case of finding out about them! Check out the posters outside stores for the best offers, or download the supermarket's app.

Alternatively, to find the best prices, most shops offer a printed flyer that can be picked up in store. If you live locally, you'll probably find one in your mailbox, too. Another option is to check the store’s website. There are always ways to save money on groceries in Norway.

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“Oh that looks good. I'll go and order that now on my phone. It'll be here tomorrow morning”.

Sometimes it's hard to believe that your retired mother can make better use of technology than you!

But lacking the next-day delivery benefits of Amazon Prime is just one of the many things you get used to when living in Norway. Online shopping in Norway isn't as fast as in the U.K. or the United States.

A global behemoth

It's hard to imagine a world without Amazon but the company isn't even 25 years old. Founder Jeff Bezos remembers the very first book he sold from his garage when Amazon was a mere online bookstore. It was called Fluid Concepts & Creative Analogies: Computer Models of the Fundamental Mechanisms of Thought.

Fast-forward to today and Amazon is one of the most famous companies in the world. Not only have they expanded beyond books into almost all aspects of e-commerce, the company is also one of the world's biggest suppliers of cloud-based IT infrastructure.

Along with the flagship Amazon.com store, the company runs country-specific stores for Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Netherlands, Spain, Turkey, and the United Kingdom.

You'll note that Norway isn't on that list. Neither are our Nordic neighbours Denmark, Sweden, Iceland or Finland. However, that doesn't mean that Norwegians can't shop on Amazon! I receive packages around once a month, plus I buy most of my eBooks from the platform, too.

Let's take a look at how residents of Norway can use Amazon for their online shopping needs.

The problem with online shopping in Norway

When moving to Norway from the UK or USA, online shopping here can seem like a throwback to ten or twenty years ago. The reasons boil down to the fact that Norway is a very large country with a small population.

Read more: The pros and cons of living in Norway

This creates a major headache for any logistics provider, and even with the increased competition of late deliveries tend to take at least 2-3 days and come at an eye-wateringly high cost. More often than not, items are delivered not to your door but to a ‘collection point', which may or may not be within walking distance of your home.

Things get even worse when ordering products from abroad. At the time of writing any product priced over NOK 350 is subject to MVA (the Norwegian VAT) and processing fee, if the item is stopped by customs. Frustratingly, the NOK 350 limit includes delivery charges.

Some goods above this limit get through, of course, but it's always a bit of a lottery. Exceptions to this rule include physical books, as they are MVA-exempt within Norway.

To make matters worse, the current coalition government is considering lowering this limit even further in a bid to boost the competitiveness of retailers within Norway. The problem is that the selection of goods available from Norwegian online stores is extremely poor, so in many cases people have no option but to buy from abroad.

Step forward Amazon.

Buying goods from Amazon.co.uk

There's little doubt that the Amazon UK store is the most popular option for online shoppers living in Norway.

Although the German store is also close by, almost everyone in Norway feels comfortable using English online. The UK store also has one of the biggest selections of goods of any of the country-specific stores, and delivery tends to cost less and be significantly quicker than from the US store.

However, the problem of import duty described above mean that your parcel could be subject to additional fees and delays courtesy of Norwegian customs.

Because of their tax-exempt status in Norway, physical books are some of the best bargains to be had from Amazon.co.uk. If you are ordering more than one, delivery charges become quite reasonable compared with Norwegian bookstores.

How to buy Kindle books in Norway

When it comes to digital goods including Kindle ebooks, global licensing rules come into play. Generally, this means that if you reside in Norway you cannot buy digital media from the UK store. Licenses from the UK store cover UK residents only.

Residents of Norway – and countless other countries around the world – are therefore supposed to buy Kindle books from the Amazon.com Kindle store, even if they ordered their Kindle device from the UK!

This often trips up Norwegians who buy a device on a shopping trip to London and naturally head to the Kindle store on Amazon.co.uk. There have been stories in the Norwegian media of people having their accounts deleted by Amazon for using the wrong store.

There is an advantage of buying Kindle books from the global store as the selection tends to be greater than in any country-specific store. However, the Kindle Unlimited program is only available to people in certain countries. That list currently excludes Norway.

Shopping on Amazon.com

As the biggest Amazon site in the world, many people naturally and up on Amazon.com when searching for goods. For one thing, many online links point to the main store. There are benefits including a greater selection and (in many cases) cheaper prices, however, there are many downsides too.

Goods imported from outside Norway are liable for extensive customs duty and lengthy delivery times. This often causes frustration and the added fees can make the total cost more expensive than shopping from the UK store or an alternative retailer in Norway. Delivery times from the USA can be several weeks, even without a customs check.

Many smaller, low-cost items don't get stopped, but anything in a large box or carrying a large price tag is highly likely to be stopped by Norwegian customs.

What to do when an item “can't be shipped” to Norway

While Amazon has an official policy of shipping its products to Norway, things get more complex when you consider their Fulfilment by Amazon program. Many items people buy from Amazon are not actually sold by Amazon, but by third-parties who pay Amazon to sell and deliver goods on their behalf.

These third-party sellers choose the countries they will and won't ship to, and Norway is often included on the latter list. In these circumstances there are a number of options open to you.

Firstly, check the other country-specific stores close to Norway (UK and Germany) and the international Amazon.com store for alternative availability.

Secondly, you can choose to use a forwarding service from the UK, whereby they receive the parcel from Amazon in the UK and send it on to you in Norway. This generally costs at least GBP £15 per package, so this only makes sense for expensive items. We have never used such a service, so if you have, let us know how it went for you.

Your third option is to shop on alternative marketplaces, or even seek out the item in Norway!

Alternatives to Amazon in Norway

There is no one store that comes close to doing what Amazon does within Norway. Known universally as Norway's online marketplace, Finn.no is most people's first thought, although the shopping portion of the site is better compared to eBay.

We promote a number of products and services through the use of affiliate links, including the Amazon Associates program. We earn a small commission on sales made via these links at no additional cost to the customer. Those websites may use cookies to track their customers, and you can view their privacy policies on their own websites.

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