Summary: The report presents a joint study performed by the Nordic Competition Authorities with the purpose of identifying, analysing and proposing solutions to competition problems on Nordic food markets. The report concludes that the prices consumers in the Nordic countries pay for food and beverages are higher than the European average, even though the price gap between the Nordic countries and EU15 has narrowed in recent years. Also the assortments of food products available in supermarkets in the Nordic region are a great deal smaller than in the south of Europe. The report points to the fact that some of the reasons behind the higher prices and the narrower food supply seems to be the high concentration on both supply and retail level in the Nordic regions, the development in the supermarket sector, and the marketing agreements between the suppliers and the retail chains. Better competition on the food markets will reduce food prices and widen the range of products available to consumers.
