Sweden to revive Cold War-era food reserves

Sweden will begin rebuilding national food and grain reserves for the first time since the Cold War, citing the growing risk of conflict with Russia.

The Swedish Board of Agriculture announced that new emergency stockpiles will be created to ensure citizens have access to food “in the event of a serious crisis or, in the extreme, war.”

Around $57 million has been set aside in the 2026 budget for the program, which will see storage facilities built between 2026 and 2028 — starting in northern Sweden, considered strategically vital and less self-sufficient in grain.

Civil Defense Minister Carl-Oskar Bohlin said there was “no time to lose” in boosting national preparedness. The plan aims to guarantee food supplies equivalent to 3,000 calories per person daily during a state of heightened alert.

Finland, Sweden’s neighbour and NATO ally, is also stepping up readiness, with lawmakers planning underground wartime training exercises next month. Moscow has dismissed Western fears as “anti-Russian hysteria,” insisting it poses no threat to any EU or NATO members.

President Vladimir Putin recently called Sweden and Finland’s 2023 NATO accession “foolish,” saying both nations abandoned the stability their former neutrality provided.

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