What was eaten in Finland in 2022?

Last year, people in Finland consumed an average of 135 kilograms of liquid milk products, 77 kilograms of meat, 85 kilograms of cereals, nearly 15 kilograms of fish, 11 kilograms of eggs, 55 kilograms of fruit and 64 kilograms of vegetables. As in previous years, the consumption of oats remained high last year. At the same time, the upward trend in the consumption of poultry meat was interrupted at least momentarily. This is indicated by the advance information on the Balance Sheet for Food Commodities published by the Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke).

In 2022, the total consumption of cereals increased from the previous year by three kilograms to 85,4 kilograms per capita. Wheat, oats and rice were consumed more than in the previous year. The consumption was 48.9 kilograms for wheat, 10.9 for oats and 8.1 for rice. The consumption of rye has been slightly decreasing for several years and last year, it was almost one kilogram lower than in 2021. The consumption of rye was 13.4 and that of barley 0.8 kilograms per capita.

“According to the balance sheet, the consumption of oats remained high. Last year, 10.9 kilograms of oats were consumed per capita, which was nearly the same amount as in the peak year of 2020 when the consumption was 11 kilograms,” says Erja Mikkola, senior specialist at Luke.

The growth in poultry meat consumption stopped

The total consumption of meat was 77.4 kilograms per capita when game and offal are also taken into account. The meat consumption figures reported in the Balance Sheet for Food Commodities also include bones, i.e. they are calculated as carcass meat. Total consumption and the consumption of red meat have already been decreasing for several years, and this trend continued last year. The consumption of meat decreased by approximately two per cent from the previous year.

“The increase in prices probably affected consumers’ choices both between and within different types of meat,” Mikkola says.

The consumption of beef was 17.0 kilograms per capita, with a decrease of nearly eight per cent. The consumption of pork had decreased for several years in a row but last year, it remained almost the same as in the previous year at about 28.8 kilograms. Pork continued to be the most consumed type of meat.

Growth in the consumption of poultry meat had been a long-term trend, but last year the growth stopped at least momentarily. The consumption of poultry meat was around 28.3 kilograms per capita. Mutton consumption was at the previous year’s level at half a kilogram per capita. The consumed amounts of reindeer and horse meat increased slightly. The consumption of reindeer meat was about 0.4 kilograms and the consumption of horse meat about 0.3 kilograms per capita.

The consumption of liquid milk decreased by more than six per cent from the previous year. The consumption fell by almost nine per cent for whole milk, by almost eight per cent for low-fat milk and by about three per cent for skimmed milk. All in all, an average of 90 litres of milk was consumed per capita last year, which is roughly six litres less than in the previous year. The share of low-fat milk was 57 per cent of the consumption of liquid milk.

“According to preliminary calculations, the total consumption of liquid milk products was roughly 135 kilograms per capita. The consumption of liquid milk products decreased by just under five per cent. The consumption of soured cream products and certain fresh products increased last year, but the consumption of other liquid milk products decreased,” Mikkola continues.

The consumption of cheese remained almost unchanged at 25.5 kilograms. Butter consumption was also the same as in the previous year at 3.1 kilograms per capita.

According to the advance information, the total consumption of fish was 14.5 kilograms per capita in 2022. The consumption of fresh and frozen fish decreased markedly from the previous year, while the consumption of canned fish increased slightly.

The consumption of fresh fruit was nearly 48 kilograms per capita. Citrus fruit accounted for 11.9 kilograms and other fresh fruit for 36.0 kilograms. Based on foreign trade statistics, bananas accounted for a third of the fresh fruit. An estimated 10.5 kilograms of tomatoes and 53.2 kilograms of other fresh vegetables were consumed per capita. Last year, tomatoes were produced less than in the previous year and their consumption decreased by nearly eight per cent according to the balance sheet. At the same time, the consumption of other fresh vegetables increased slightly. However, the amount of vegetables consumed is only indicative and also contains potential waste.

Last year, 11.1 kilograms of eggs were consumed per capita, which is about 0.8 kilograms less than in previous years. Sugar consumption increased from the previous year.

Background to the statistics

The consumption figures of food commodities are based on Luke’s statistics on the Balance Sheet for Food Commodities, containing a summary of the production, domestic use and consumption of the most important categories of food in Finland. The domestic usage of more the 60 products is calculated for the Balance Sheet on the basis of production, changes in stock, exports and imports. Domestic usage is further divided into different purposes: animal feed, use for seeds, industrial raw materials and human consumption. The consumption figures of food commodities are calculated by dividing the human consumption by average population. Consumption is not calculated by population groups on the food balance sheet.

The calculation does not indicate the exact amount of food consumption. The figures in the Balance Sheet for Food Commodities represent the amount available for consumption rather than actual consumption, because volumes of storage losses and other waste, among other things, are not available from all stages of the food chain, in which case they are included in the consumption figures.

The total consumption of meat also includes game and offal. The meat consumption figures reported in the Balance Sheet for Food Commodities also include bones, i.e., they are reported as carcass meat. Typically, carcass meat contains 80 per cent of boneless meat. In addition, cooking loss ranges from 10 to 30 per cent, depending on the product. The weight of cooked meat is around 50 per cent of the weight of carcass meat.