Price Margins in the Finnish Food Chain

Abstract

There is a growing interest – among consumers, the media, political decision-makers and the food system at large – in more detailed information on the formation of consumer prices for foodstuffs. This paper, based on Finnish case evidence, is an opportunity to increase the transparency of the food chain as well as consumers’ knowledge of its functioning. The aim of this study is to present an analysis of the price margin data for selected food products falling into three sectors: meat products, dairy products and cereal products. More specifically, the objective is to determine the share of consumer food prices taken by each actor along the food supply chain: primary production, processing, and retailing, as well as government taxes.