In 2025, Finns will eat more fish, cheese, pork and poultry than before. Cheese consumption rose higher than ever before in the history of the nutritional balance.
Finns consumed a record amount of cheese products in 2025. Illustration picture. Pete Anikari
According to the preliminary statistics of the National Natural Resources Institute’s food balance, the total consumption of meat was about 78.1 kilograms per person last year, when game meat and edible organs are included, it turns out from the bulletin.
Meat consumption is calculated in the nutritional balance as uncooked carcass meat with bones, not as ready-to-eat meat.
Consumption decreased by about 0.2 kilos from the previous year.
Finns’ consumption of pork turned up after a couple of years of decline. Consumption increased by about two percent. Poultry meat consumption has been increasing for a long time, but last year the increase was less than one percent.
Lamb consumption also increased, but beef consumption decreased by a kilo per person.
It is estimated that poultry meat will be consumed per person in 2025 at around 30.9 kilos, pork 27.9 kilos, beef 16.7 kilos and lamb 0.5 kilos.
In 2025, about 12 kilograms of eggs were consumed per person, which was slightly more than in 2024. Fish was also eaten more than the previous year, about 14.4 kilograms per person.
The nutritional balance describes the amount available for consumption and not the actual food consumption. The figures also include, for example, wastage and other losses arising at different stages, which cannot be separated from the materials.
Oats, rye and vegetables
According to the Finnish Natural Resources Agency, the total consumption of grain in 2025 was approximately 86.2 kilograms per person, which was one kilogram less than the previous year.
Rye consumption has been decreasing for a long time, including last year. Last year, less oats were also consumed than in the peak year of 2024.
49.3 kilos of wheat, 11.4 kilos of rye, 11.0 kilos of oats, 1.3 kilos of barley and 8.3 kilos of rice were consumed per person.
In addition to the previous ones, corn, buckwheat and other bread grains are included in the total grain consumption.
According to preliminary data, fresh vegetables were consumed around 64.5 kilograms per person. On the other hand, the amount also includes possible loss, so the number is only indicative.
In 2024, about 69 kilos of potatoes were consumed per person converted into fresh potatoes. The forecast for 2025 is not yet available.
More fresh fruit was consumed than the previous year, around 50 kilos per person.
A record amount of cheese
As in previous years, the consumption of liquid milk products also decreased last year. The decrease was 2.6 percent. About 127 kilograms of liquid dairy products were consumed per person.
Fluid milks such as skimmed milk, skimmed milk, whole milk and farm milk were consumed on average 82 liters. The consumption of other milk-based fresh products continued to grow. In the nutritional balance, these include, for example, puddings and flavored curds, which are included in liquid dairy products.
According to preliminary data, more cheese was consumed in 2025 than ever before in the history of the nutritional balance: about 27 kilograms per person.
Butter consumption was 2.9 kilos per person, which was about 0.2 kilos less than the previous year.