The food markets and trade are economic activities which concern only food products directly intended for consumers. They thus differ from similar activities concerning farm products. The definitions given here of the market, the distribution and trade lead us to examine the problems of market structure in the food trade. The analysis of the food market shows that there are three different levels at the market stage and several distribution channels. A classification of the channels is proposed : direct or integrated channels, short or semi-integrated channels and long non-integrated channels. Is there an actual trend towards shorter channels, towards a « rationalization » ? No precise answer is given to this question but an approach is proposed to estimate trade volumes. One of the originalities of this paper is to stress the role played by wholesale markets in the food trade. The evolution of wholesale activities is analysed in the framework of wholesale distribution and markets.
