@misc{Zuba-Ciszewska_Maria_The_2020, author={Zuba-Ciszewska, Maria}, number={1 (186)}, copyright={Creative Commons Attribution BY 4.0 license}, address={Warszawa}, journal={Wieś i Rolnictwo}, howpublished={online}, year={2020}, publisher={Instytut Rozwoju Wsi i Rolnictwa Polskiej Akademii Nauk}, language={pl}, abstract={The article evaluates the food security of dairy products in Poland in the most important dimensions, i.e. the availability of food. Dairy cooperatives are dominant in Polish milk processing business. They represent 62% of all dairies in the country, with a 72% share in the purchase of milk. A new approach to the above considerations is therefore to take into account the role of cooperatives. The scope of this elaboration covers the period after the transformation of the economy, and the detailed data on the assortment of dairies covers the years 2013 and 2017, due to the access to comparable data from dairy reports. The data from the Central Statistical Office and IAFE-NRI was also used in this research. Since 1990, Poland has significantly increased self-sufficiency in its production of milk and dairy products. The production potential of Polish agriculture and the processing industry is sufficient to produce milk and its products, while ensuring an adequate level of nutrition for the country’s population. Despite the decline in the number of dairy cooperatives, they are still the dominant form in the milk processing industry. Dairy cooperatives exist in every region. Most dairy cooperatives (over 62%) offer a wide range of dairy products (from 5 to 8 products), but this clearly represents a smaller share than just a few years ago (74%). We observe growing specialisation of cooperatives, with almost one in three offering no more than just 4 products. Most dairies offering the most popular dairy assortment, i.e. liquid milk, fresh cheese, sour cream, butter and milk drinks, are dairy cooperatives (from 71% to 83%). In the case of other products their share is less significant (from 44% to 71%). In each voivodeship there are cooperative plants producing basic dairy products. Dairy cooperatives guarantee physical access to dairy products as well as permanent access to food in every region of the country}, title={The Role of Cooperatives in Ensuring Food Availability in Poland – on the Example of Dairy Products}, type={Text}, URL={http://rcin.org.pl./Content/243637/wir_2020_1_186_093_119.pdf}, keywords={food security, food availability, dairy product, dairy cooperative}, }