Products, services and equal competition
Finnish Food Authority | Alcohol administration | Finnish Patent and Registration Office | Economic Development Centre
Food business operators under target-specific control
Source: Finnish Food Authority
Every grocery store, restaurant, café and establishment that produces foods (food business operator) is a separate target of food control. If a food business operator engages in more than one food business activity, it is registered in the category of its principal activity. The category of “food service” includes cafés, restaurants and mass caterers. Figure 1 presents the number of sectors included in the scope of food control.
Food control is risk-based and planned
Risk-based food control means that high-risk food business operators are subject to greater control than low-risk operators. For instance, a food establishment that produces meat products is classified as a higher-risk food control target than, say, a kiosk that sells packaged foodstuffs. In food control, the control targets are categorised into various risk categories, and the control frequency of each group is determined on the basis of the risk categorisation. For this reason, some control targets are inspected several times a year, whereas other control targets may go several years between inspections.
A total of 38 per cent of all objects of control were inspected last year. Figure 2 shows the percentage of inspected objects of control by sector: as many as 86% of objects of control involving a high risk for food safety have been inspected, while in primary production, only 2% of objects of control have been subjected to a food control inspection.
Results of food control are easily available online and by the doors of food business operators
Food control is carried out systematically across the country under the OIVA (Finnish Smiley) system. The food control authority inspects selected aspects of the control target during each inspection. The results are published as an OIVA report. There are four possible results: excellent, good, to be corrected and poor.
OIVA scale. Picture: oivahymy.fi/en [.fi]›
The results of OIVA inspections are published at the entrances of inspected food business operators and on their websites. The OIVA results of food business operators can also be found at oivahymy.fi/en [.fi]›.
Results of OIVA inspections based on a scale from A to D
Figure 4 presents a breakdown of the OIVA grades of grocery stores and service locations, as well as the total grades of all inspected food business operators. So far, annual differences between the grades of different operator groups have been minor. Approximately 83% of the objects of control received the grade excellent or good last year, while 17% of objects received the grade to be corrected or poor.
If a food business operator receives the grade to be corrected or poor, the authority will often issue an order or use another administrative coercive measure to ensure that the non-compliance is corrected. All companies receiving the grade to be corrected or poor will be subject to a follow-up inspection.
Administrative coercive measures are taken to address activities that do not comply with the law
Food control authorities are obligated to ensure that any situation that does not comply with the law is rectified. The Food Act lays down administrative coercive measures that are to be employed when necessary. Last year, 222 decisions on administrative coercive measures were made (figure 5). Administrative coercive measures were applied in food control at a level nearly equivalent to that of the previous year. The most commonly employed administrative coercive measure is an order.
Reliability and compliance with obligations of food business operators
A business operating in the food industry must comply with food legislation to ensure that the safety of consumers is not compromised and that consumers are not misled. The reliability of financial activities is also assessed by monitoring the payment of taxes and other statutory fees, for example.
Issues with meeting statutory obligations may reflect a shadow economy risk, and operators who fail to comply with their statutory obligations may also fail to comply with the requirements laid down to ensure food safety.
By combining the data from a compliance report with the data from an OIVA (Finnish Smiley) assessment, the reliability of an operator can be assessed from both an economic and a food safety perspective, thus achieving a comprehensive idea of the company’s operations. These insights can be used to target control measures, and they are also helpful when investigating suspected offences in the food supply chain.
Suspected offences and requests for investigation regarding business operations related to the food supply chain
The compilation of suspected offences in the entire food supply chain and requests for investigation to the criminal investigation authorities started in 2021. In addition to food business operators, the food supply chain includes animal and plant production farms and feed, fertiliser, seed and by-product industry operators, among others.
A single recorded suspected offence or request for investigation may involve suspected offences from several legislative sectors and also several different offences. The most common offences in the case of the food supply chain are health offence, marketing offence, registration offence, animal welfare offence and aggravated animal welfare offence, causing a risk of spreading an animal disease, degradation of the environment, fraud and aggravated fraud, as well as forgery and aggravated forgery. Figure 6 shows the number of suspected criminal offences and the number of submitted requests for investigation brought to the attention of the Finnish Food Authority.
Last year, the most typical suspected offences concerned food business activities taking place outside official food control – so-called “shadow operations”. These cases involved the production of food in inappropriate conditions or the import of food items of unclear origin into Finland from other EU Member States or from non-EU countries. Suspicions of professional sales of food items conducted on social media platforms also continued to increase. The food items sold on these platforms were, in many respects, non-compliant with regulations, and their origin or country of origin could often not be traced.
The authorities involved in the supervision of the food chain continue to regularly receive information about operators engaged in business activities outside the scope of supervision. Such operators are making unlawful financial gains, both through the avoidance of food control fees and the possibility of engaging in activities regardless of the legal requirements set for the food chain.
You can use the Oivahymy website at www.oivahymy.fi [.fi]› to check whether or not food business operators are covered by food control.
The food control statistics should be examined by comparing them with the observations and statistics of other authorities presented in this snapshot. This makes it possible to find common features or even mechanisms of action between different phenomena or within a single phenomenon.
Alcohol administration is combatting the shadow economy
Source: The Finnish Supervisory Agency, Alcohol administration
Until the end of 2025, alcohol administration referred to the overall system of licensing administration, supervision and steering comprising the National Supervisory Authority for Welfare and Health (Valvira) and the Regional State Administrative Agencies (AVI), which acted as the alcohol authorities. The Regional State Administrative Agencies supervised the serving and retail sales of alcoholic beverages in their areas. Valvira attended to nationwide supervision and the provision of guidance for the Regional State Administrative Agencies on supervising the serving and retail sales of alcohol. In the beginning of 2026, the newly launched Finnish Supervisory Agency took over all the official duties under the Alcohol Act that were previously the responsibility of the Regional State Administrative Agencies and Valvira.
The basic task of the alcohol administration is to prevent harm that the consumption of alcohol causes to the people consuming alcohol, other people and society as a whole. This is done by restricting the consumption of alcoholic beverages and supervising the related business activities. This core task provides a solid basis for the network of authorities combatting the shadow economy.
The Alcohol Act emphasises the role of self-monitoring, and it requires licence holders to prepare a self-monitoring plan to support their operations. A well-drafted self-monitoring plan can prevent many practical problems, and it is important that licence holders take their self-monitoring obligation seriously.
During 2025, the alcohol administration prepared for the reform of regional state administration. The reform being completed and the changes it introduces will inevitably also have an impact on other official functions, including combating the grey economy.
Number of cases processed by the alcohol administration increased moderately
The number of cases handled by the Regional State Administrative Agencies decreased to less than 8,000 cases during the coronavirus restrictions in 2021. In 2022, that number increased slightly to a little over 8,500. In 2023, the Regional State Administrative Agencies processed around 8,000 cases related to serving and retail sales of alcoholic beverages. The decrease in the number is likely to be due to uncertainties related to the business and the reform of the alcohol trade register. The number of cases handled in 2024 almost reached the level preceding the overall reform of the Alcohol Act, and in 2025, the number clearly exceeded this level (Figure 1).
The number of serving licences increased while the number of retail sales licences decreased
The number of licences to serve alcohol has been steadily increasing since 2020. At the end of 2025, there were a total of 9,939 valid serving licences in Mainland Finland (Figure 2). The increase in the number of alcohol serving licences can be partly attributed to the easing of requirements for obtaining a serving licence; for example, the responsible manager only needs to possess an alcohol proficiency certificate. Licences have also been applied for as a secondary service for other activities.
The number of retail sales licences has been steadily decreasing since 2021. The licences apply to the sale of fermented alcoholic beverages up to 5.5%, and as of 10 June 2024, they also apply to the sale of fermented alcoholic beverages up to 8% between 9 am and 9 pm. The development can be attributed, among other things, to the granting of retail sales licences to holders of serving licences and to producers of craft beer and farm wine. At the end of 2025, alcoholic beverages could be purchased for takeaway from a total of 4,474 outlets in Mainland Finland. This was 144 fewer than at the end of 2024 (Figure 2). The decrease in the number of retail sales outlets can partially be attributed to the concentration of the business in shopping centres and the statistical methods introduced as part of the alcohol trade register reform. Takeaway licences granted to serving premises are not included in the retail sales statistics.
Alcohol administration has contributed to combatting the shadow economy – statistical methods were updated again
To monitor the effectiveness of the measures taken to combat the shadow economy, the focus in supervision is also on measures to ensure that licence holders have the prerequisites to carry out their business operations. Between 2012 and 2021, Valvira compiled comparable statistics on serving supervision carried out to combat the shadow economy. From the beginning of 2022, the statistics were updated to reflect the content of the current Alcohol Act. As of 1 January 2023, statistical data batches on serving alcohol were split into licensing administration matters and supervisory matters. From the beginning of 2024, the statistics were extended to include licensing administration and supervision of retail sales.
Licensing administration statistics cover the measures carried out in connection with the applications for new alcohol serving and retail sales licences whereas the statistics on supervisory matters cover the measures arising from existing licences. The statistical data forms an overview of the measures taken by the alcohol administration to combat the shadow economy and the effectiveness of the measures.
Combatting the shadow economy is one part of the extensive responsibilities of the alcohol administration. The measures taken by the alcohol administration to combat the shadow economy in 2025 can be regarded as successful, considering the impacts of the payment and operating relief granted to the entrepreneurs, the decrease in the personnel resources of the alcohol administration and the preparations required by the regional state administration reform.
Statistics on combatting the shadow economy – licensing
Tables 1a and 1b show the supervisory measures to combat the shadow economy taken by the Regional State Administrative Agencies in 2025 in the context of the processing of new licences for the serving and retail sales of alcohol. The summaries show the number of investigations on economic preconditions carried out by region. They also show the number of measures taken to investigate licensing matters and their results, including requests for clarification sent to licence holders, cancellation of licences, negative decisions, licences granted on a temporary basis, licences granted in accordance with the application, payment arrangements and programmes introduced as a result of completed licensing cases, as well as the tax debts paid.
In 2025, 266 licensing matters resulted in 199 requests for clarification. The tax debt payments resulting from the measures totalled about EUR 1.33 million (Table 1a).
In 2025, 13 retail sales licensing matters resulted in 6 requests for clarification. The tax debt payments resulting from the measures totalled about EUR 143,000 (Table 1b).
Statistics on combatting the shadow economy – supervision
Tables 2a and 2b show the supervisory measures to combat the shadow economy taken by the Regional State Administrative Agencies in 2025 in the context of the processing of existing licences for the serving and retail sales of alcohol. The summaries show the number of supervision cases opened to examine financial prerequisites in each region. They also show the number of measures and their results, including requests for clarification sent to licence holders, deadlines set and guidance issued, the cancellation of serving and/or retail sales licences, and payment arrangements and plans agreed as a result of supervisory measures, as well as outstanding taxes paid.
In 2025, a total of 254 supervisory cases for serving alcohol were opened and they led to 202 requests for clarification. The tax debt payments resulting from the measures totalled about EUR 2.5 million (Table 2a).
In 2025, a total of 15 cases of supervising the retail trade were opened and they led to 12 requests for clarification. The tax debt payments resulting from the measures totalled about EUR 177,000 (Table 2b).
Accuracy of Trade Register records is monitored
Source: Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment
The Finnish Patent and Registration Office (PRH) is responsible for maintaining and monitoring the accuracy of information submitted to the Trade Register. The number of registration offences, cases of suspected misconduct and Trade Register submissions investigated on a risk basis brought to the attention of the Trade Register are indicative of the possible extent of shadow economy activity.
Since 2016, the Finnish Patent and Registration Office has introduced various needs-based intensified control measures in the processing of notifications. Depending on the case, the Finnish Patent and Registration Office has requested further clarification of the accuracy of the reported issue or has conducted its own investigations to rule out the possibility of misconduct. Following the amendments to the Trade Register Act adopted in 2023, the Finnish Patent and Registration Office (PRH) may also require the person submitting a notification to verify their identity at a PRH or Tax Administration service point. In some individual cases, the PRH has applied this statutory method of identity verification.
Since 2022, the Finnish Patent and Registration Office has been targeting its intensified control measures to notifications using risk-based criteria. The number of cases subject to risk based control has remained relatively stable over the years, although the number was higher than usual in 2025. Each year, there have been a few clear cases of misconduct. The targeted control measures have helped prevent any incorrect data from being registered. In cases where data that has proved to be erroneous has already been registered, the data has been quickly corrected.
At the beginning of 2024, the Finnish Patent and Registration Office introduced a notification for updating the responsible persons in the automated decision-making section. The criteria for notifications subject to automated decision-making have been defined in a manner that enables minimising misconduct. Indeed, the related observations made after the introduction of this practice are positive. The introduction of automated decision-making has also enabled allocating resources to notifications that involve a higher risk of misconduct.
During the processing of residence permits for self-employed persons, an increasing number of cases involving unclear business arrangements were identified
Source: Economic Development Centre of Uusimaa
A residence permit for a self-employed person is granted in two stages: the Economic Development Centre of Uusimaa makes an interim decision before the final decision is made by the Finnish Immigration Service. The interim decision is made assessing the profitability of companies and the preconditions for the livelihoods of permit applicants.
In 2025, the Economic Development Centre of Uusimaa made a total of 1,236 interim decisions, of which 46% were negative. The share of negative interim decisions increased by 1% from the previous year. Interim decisions on the first residence permits accounted for 17% and subsequent permits 83% of all interim decisions.
Many reasons for negative decisions
A negative decision is not a direct indication of grey economy activities, but such situations may also involve the grey economy and economic crime as underlying factors. The most common reasons for negative interim decisions include deficiencies in complying with statutory obligations, irregularities in the payment of wages, deficient or erroneous accounting, a lack of resources to implement a business idea or the poor financial operating conditions of a company, which lead to the applicant’s livelihood not being secured through business operations.
Disguised employment, labour exploitation, long subcontracting chains and the various arrangements associated with them, as well as the use of the franchising business model in a manner that suggests grounds other than commercial ones, are phenomena that emerged in the negative interim decisions. The volume of disguised employment and observations of labour exploitation remained at a high level. Applications were still found to feature paid services by professional enablers as well.
In its assessment work, the Economic Development Centre observed a weakening of the positions of self-employed persons, for example through unreasonable contract terms that fail to ensure an equal contractual relationship between the client company and the subcontractor, and through unclear business arrangements. Renting platform economy accounts has become more common. It is now possible to rent out contracts as a result of the permission given for the use of substitutes, so an increasing number of operators have been able to use the same platform account. It is worth noting that, in such cases, the contract holder has the opportunity to benefit financially from subletting their own contract, whilst the person in a weaker position is exposed to various forms of exploitation under the arrangement.
A growing trend has been observed in the use of the franchising business model in a way that may suggest the organised facilitation of entry through a franchising structure. Warning signs relating to franchising activities have increased and, in the restaurant sector in particular, there has been rapid expansion, exceptionally high franchise entry fees and a rise in indebtedness among applicants. Shortcomings have been identified in the applicants’ expertise in relation to the scale of the business, and the financing may have been based on a loan arrangement that obscures the actual control of the company.
The Economic Development Centre of Uusimaa works with other authorities to combat the grey economy and economic crime. Any deficiencies and negligence discovered during the processing of self-employed persons’ residence permit applications were reported to the Finnish Immigration Service, the Occupational Safety and Health Authority, the Finnish Tax Administration and the Police of Finland.
Interim decisions by nationality
Applications for residence permits for self-employed persons were received from citizens of 69 countries. The largest number of applications was received from citizens of India, Russia and Ukraine. As in previous years, India and Russia were the most prevalent nationalities in self-employed persons’ residence permit applications, but Ukraine has risen to third place as a new addition. The number of Ukrainian applicants increased by 129% compared to the previous year. Relatively the most negative decisions were made regarding citizens of Vietnam, who also made up the ninth largest group of applicants.
Interim decisions by principal activity
Applications for self-employed persons’ residence permits include companies in a large range of sectors. In 2025, applications included 155 different principal activities. In terms of quantity, the largest principal activities were restaurant, postal, distribution and courier services and IT (software design, etc.). Compared with the previous year, the total number of businesses operating in the postal, distribution and courier sectors fell by 33%, whilst the total number of businesses in the restaurant sector rose by 6%. The share of negative interim decisions was highest in the beauty (54%) and restaurant (53%) sectors.