The Minister of Agriculture, Ignas Hofmanas, has set up the Food Council and approved its composition. The first meeting of the Food Council will take place on 20 February.

The Food Council is an advisory body, the establishment of which is foreseen in the programme of the 19th Government. The aim of the Food Council is to promote a sustainable and balanced food system in Lithuania.

„The Food Council will make proposals that will contribute to greater market transparency and consumer confidence. It is essential to find means for a fair distribution of prices in the food chain in order to achieve a balance of interests between market players – all market players will receive their fair share of profit“, Minister I. Hofmanas said at the media conference.

City Council:

• carry out continuous market monitoring and analysis of the food sector;
• evaluate the results of the market monitoring and propose solutions to contribute to greater pricing transparency;
• consider, on its own initiative or at the request of the Government, draft legislation in the field of the food sector, and provide conclusions and recommendations;
• review and liaise between actors in the food supply chain (farmers, food businesses and processors, representatives of agricultural and economic science).

The Food Council will bring together 27 representatives from different fields.

The Food Council will be represented by the Chancellery of the Government, the Ministries of Agriculture, Economics and Innovation, Finance, the State Enterprise Agricultural Data Centre, the Academy of Agriculture of Vytautas Magnus University, Vilnius University, the Institute of Economics and Rural Development of the Lithuanian Centre of Social Sciences, the Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, the Association of Lithuanian Cereal Processors and Traders, the Confederation of Industrialists of Lithuania, and the Association of Lithuanian Cereals and Cereals;Lithuanian Food Industry”, Association of Lithuanian Meat Processors, Association of Lithuanian Meat Processors, Association of Lithuanian Dairy Farmers „Pieno centras“, Lithuanian Poultry Breeders' Association, Association of Trade Enterprises, Confederation of Lithuanian Businesses, Consumer Rights Protection Service, Charity and Support Foundation „Maisto bankas“.

The Lithuanian Agriculture Council and the Lithuanian Chamber of Agriculture will each have four representatives on the Food Council.