Balance Sheet for Food Commodities 2019, preliminary and 2018 final figures

• In 2019, the total consumption of meat was 79.8 kg per capita when game and offal are also taken into account. The total consumption of meat decreased by approximately 1.5 per cent from the previous year. The consumption of poultry meat was almost four per cent higher than in the previous year. Poultry meat accounts for about a third of meat consumption, 26.6 kilograms. The consumption of pork decreased by approximately five per cent and that of beef by 2.5 per cent.
• Per capita consumption of cereals was approximately 81 kg. This was an increase of over two kilograms per capita from the previous year. The consumption of oats was 9.5 kilograms per capita. The consumption of oats increased by almost 30 per cent from 2018. The consumption of wheat was 43.9 kilograms per capita. The consumption of wheat decreased slightly, while the consumption of rye and barley remained largely unchanged. The consumption of rice increased by half a kilogram per capita from the previous year to 6.6 kilograms.
• The consumption of milk decreased by almost five per cent from the previous year. All in all, the consumption of milk last year was 102 litres per capita.
• In 2019, the total consumption of liquid milk products was 148 kg per capita, or some four per cent less than in the previous year. The consumption of sour milk, yoghurt, curdled milk (viili) and cream decreased by a few per cent. The consumption of other milk-based products, such as flavoured quarks, grew.
• In 2019, just under 25 kilograms of cheese and almost 12 kilograms of eggs were consumed per capita.
• The consumption of citrus fruits grew by almost five per cent to 14.3 kilograms per capita. The consumption of other types of fresh fruit remained almost unchanged at 45 kilograms per capita.
• In 2019, the total consumption of fish was 14.9 kilograms per capita.

The Balance Sheet for Food Commodities does not tell the exact amounts of consumed food. The figures in the Balance Sheet describe the amounts available for consumption more than the actual consumption, because e.g. the amount of stock losses and other losses is not available at all stages of the food chain.

The meat consumption figures reported in the Balance Sheet for Food Commodities and in the graph below also include bones (=carcass meat).  Typically, carcass meat contains 80% of boneless meat. In addition, the cooking loss ranges from 10 to 30%, depending on the product. The weight of cooked meat is around 50% of the weight of carcass meat.