The purpose of the work reported is to provide a first-order assessment of food patterns and food pattern trends in each of the Nordic countries. The primary source of input has been food supply data for the period of 1970–1988. The study reveals that important changes in food consumption have taken place over the last 20 years. In Finland and Norway, this has resulted in a reduction of energy contribution from fat to 35%. For Denmark and Sweden no such reduction is observed. The data are intended for use in a wider context in a transeuropean search for relations between health problems and food patterns.