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.