Lördagsgodis

Lördagsgodis (Swedish) or lørdagsgodis and lørdagsgodteri (Norwegian), (English: "Saturday sweets" or "Saturday candy") is a Norwegian^[1] and Swedish tradition of children eating candy or sweets mainly or only on Saturdays.^[2]

Lördagsgodis at IKEA in Hong Kong.

The tradition started as a health recommendation in 1959^[3] following the government-funded Vipeholm experiments, where patients of Vipeholm Hospital for the intellectually disabled in Lund, Sweden, were unknowingly fed large amounts of sweets to see whether a high-sugar diet would cause tooth decay.^[4]

Over time, what was once a recommendation has turned into a routine for both children and adults to eat candy on Saturdays, as an event to look forward to during the week.^[5] It is common for Swedes to buy lördagsgodis by weight from candy walls in grocery stores.^[6] As of 2015^[update], the Swedish government, facing high candy consumption and in effort to improve public health was considering enforcing Saturday candy. Such deliberations were being met with criticism from groups who instead supported a cap on consumption.^[7]