The EU Food Sector

This chapter gives an overview of the EU food sector. The chapter starts with a historical perspective on the major developments in the food sector after the Second World War. This is followed by a discussion of the structural characteristics and an assessment of the competitiveness of the sector. Next, developments in the organisation of the food supply chain and the shift in dominant players in the chain are addressed. The rising concentration in downstream segments of the food supply chain is creating concern and has spurred new initiatives at the EU policy level, such as tools to improve transparency along the chain, to facilitate producer cooperation and a ban on unfair trading practices