Expressing Added Value in Food Supply Chains
31
Expressing Added Value in Food Supply Chains
Nejc ZIDAR
*
, Jernej TURK, Jernej PRIŠENK 
University of Maribor, Faculty of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Pivola 10, 2311 Hoče, Slovenia
ABSTRACT
Value-added food supply chains are chains that maintain positive social, environmental, and community values which are 
integrated into the production process from the primary producer to the final consumer, ensuring economic, social, and 
environmental sustainability, thus forming a sustainable agricultural and food production system. The evaluation of the value 
added in each chain is based on indicators, which are a tool to measure changes in the actual situation or to show performance 
trends in achieving the progress set by the objectives. The presented indicators are based on publicly available statistics 
and foreign literature that allow measuring value added in specific livestock chains at aggregate level (beef production, pork 
production and dairy production) and are based on publicly available statistics in the Republic of Slovenia. The need to produce 
indicators of value added in livestock food supply chains arises from the large differences in structural changes in the sector 
itself and in the development and economic performance of the various livestock industries.
Key words: food supply chain, value-added, indicators, sustainability, economic, social and environmental aspect
Agricultura Scientia 20: No 2: 31-40(2023)
https://doi.org/10.18690/agricsci.20.2.4
INTRODUCTION
In the scientific literature, there is no uniform definition 
of the term " value chain," which means that it varies from 
author to author in certain details. Value chains or quality 
food supply chains are characterised by maximising production 
value for individual actors in the chain, while consumers 
perceive agricultural products or food from such food supply 
chains as: high quality, produced based on environmentally 
friendly production systems, with a positive indirect and direct 
contribution to the local economy and the community as a 
whole (Viitaharju et al., 2005; Stevenson et al., 2011; Prišenk, 2015; 
Lev et al., 2015; Todorovic et al., 2018; Malak-Rawlikowska et al., 
2019; Clark et al., 2021; Bayir et al., 2022; Reckinger, 2022). The 
primary producer or farmer, considered an important and equal 
strategic partner, is also involved in management and decision-
making. Business relationships between actors in each chain 
must be fair and based on trust, which implies a steady and 
equal distribution of rights and responsibilities (Prišenk, 2015). 
Value-added food supply chains, or quality supply 
chains, are those in which all stakeholders in each chain 
recognise and maintain a degree of stability and certainty, 
which affects the trust and satisfaction of all stakeholders 
along the chain, regardless of the length of each food supply 
chain or the number of stakeholders involved (Stevenson 
and Pirog, 2008; Stevenson et al., 2011; Pirog and Bregend-
ahl, 2012; Kneafsey et al., 2013; Prišenk, 2015; Lev et.al., 2015; 
Feenstra and Hardesty, 2016; Ostrom, 2017; Todorovic et al., 
2018; Vitterso et al., 2019; Peterson, 2022; Reckinger, 2022).
In defining the different aspects of added value or finding 
indicators of added value, we followed the characteristics of a 
sustainable food value chain developed by the FAO, which is:
• profitable at all its stages (economic sustainability)
• has broad benefits for society (social sustainability)
• positive or neutral impact on the natural environment 
(environmental sustainability).
Sustainable development proposes a balanced devel-
opment that meets the needs of the present generation 
without compromising the needs of future generations, re-
ferring to the long-term balance between economic, social 
and environmental processes (Yakovleva, 2007). The concept 
of sustainable food value chains recognises that value chains 
are dynamic, market-led systems in which vertical coordina-
tion is the central dimension and for which added value and 
sustainability are explicit, multidimensional performance 
criteria assessed at aggregate level (FAO, 2014). A sustainable 
*Correspondence to: 
E-mail: nejc.zidar2@um.si

Expressing Added Value in Food Supply Chains
32
supply chain is characterized by managing environmental, 
social and economic impacts and working for good govern-
ance throughout the life cycle of products and services. The 
goal of a sustainable supply chain is to create, protect and 
increase long-term value for all stakeholders involved in the 
presence of products and services on the market (Yakovleva, 
2007; Sisco et al., 2011; Malak-Rawlikowska et.al., 2019; Vitterso 
et al., 2019; Chiffoleau and Dourian, 2020).
The added value of chains is a broad concept that inter-
feres with the different strands of sustainable development 
(economic, social and environmental). These three aspects 
of sustainability were also crucial in finding or formulating 
value-added indicators in food supply chains, which were 
divided into three groups into economic, social and environ-
mental ones.
The need to create added value indicators in livestock 
food supply chains stems from significant differences in 
development and economic performance of the various 
livestock industrial sector. The Slovenian livestock food 
supply sector has been characterised in recent years by large 
differences between individual sectors relating to: the level 
of self- sufficiency of products, changes in the share of em-
ployees in each chain, payment inequality of employees by 
gender, low purchase prices of agricultural products, higher 
production costs, changes in external trade in products, 
share of farmed animals of native breeds, share of organi-
cally farmed animals.
The failure and inefficiency of connecting actors along 
the chains led to the decline of the successful development of 
supply chains with added value in Slovenia or to the creation 
of new ones. As a result, self-sufficiency in certain sectors 
fell, which brought with it many broader negative effects 
on agriculture and rural development (social, economic and 
environmental aspects).
The basic task of the research was to define the added value 
that is and will be expressed in food supply chains, typical of 
Slovenian agricultural production and animal husbandry. It 
should be emphasized that generalization of values compared 
to other EU members is impossible, if only because of the 
specificity of agricultural production in Slovenia. Therefore, it 
was necessary to define indicators that will express the added 
value of supply chains, while at the same time they will not 
stray too far from recognized and established definitions 
taken from internationally recognized literature.
The objective of this paper is to present indicators that 
measure added value in the specific livestock food supply 
chains (beef production, pork production and dairy produc-
tion) and based on open or all available statistical databas-
es, allowing for the evaluation of individual chains at an 
aggregate level.
MATERIAL AND METHODS
The indicator is defined in literature as a synthesise variable 
derived from two or more data (EEA, 1998), where the indicator 
exceeds the message of the data itself, which measures or 
describes the property of a particular phenomenon. Indicators 
are a tool for measuring changes in the actual situation or 
showing trends in the performance of the progress set or 
objectives (Korže, 2008). Indicators provide key information 
about a physical, social or economic system. They enable the 
analysis of trends and cause-and-effect relationships thus 
step beyond primary data (Veleva and Ellenbecker, 2001). The 
indicators are based on the objectives set and show different 
statistically processed data. They shall contain a description 
of the indicator itself, the area covered by it, the requested 
data source and be internationally comparable. Depending on 
the available database, the monitoring time interval of the 
indicator (Korže, 2008) is also determined.
In our research work, we carried out an overview of 
Slovenian and foreign literature in the field of indicators of 
added value or sustainability, and analyzed the accessibility 
and content of publicly available statistical databases. From 
publicly available statistical data, we have selected those 
that, with a logical and meaningful interpretation, enable 
the evaluation of agri-food chains. On the basis of scientific 
theory, statistical research methods and accessible statisti-
cal data, we have formed indicators of added value, which 
are intended for the evaluation of livestock agri-food chains 
at the aggregate level. The indicators presented are based 
on Slovenian and foreign scientific literature (Yakovleva, 
2007; Malak-Rawlikowska et.al., 2019; Rossi, 2020), national 
(Agriculture Act, Livestock Farming Act) and internation-
ally accepted legal objectives (The Farm to Fork Strategy, 
A European Green Deal, Biodiversity strategy for 2030) and 
internationally accepted indicators of sustainable develop-
ment (Sustainable Development Goal 17, COSA – Committee 
on sustainability assessment, SAFA – Sustainability assess-
ment of food and agriculture systems FAO), evaluate the 
added value in specific livestock chains at the aggregate level 
(beef production, pork production, dairy production) and are 
based on publicly available statistical data in the Republic 
of Slovenia: Statistical Office of the Republic of Slovenia, 
The Agricultural Institute of Slovenia (Model calculations, 
Report on the state of agriculture, food, forestry and fisher-
ies), Agency for Agricultural Markets and Rural Development 
(Weekly market reports) and other databases. Given that 
the amount of data relating to the primary sector (primary 
producer – farmer) is relatively large and easily accessible, 
many indicators are designed in such a way that they relate 
mainly to the primary sector in each chain.

Expressing Added Value in Food Supply Chains
33
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Indicators of added value in food supply chains represent a 
tool for measuring changes in the actual situation or showing 
trends in the success of achieving the set progress or goals. 
The division of indicators into three groups (economic, social, 
environmental) is based on three aspects of sustainable 
development, whereby the dividing lines between individual 
areas of monitoring or evaluation are often blurred in the 
case of individual indicators. Sustainability represents an 
important challenge and a fundamental goal for all food 
value chains, as more and more different decision-makers 
strive to increase it. Not only the purchasing preferences of 
consumers, but also other stakeholders such as governments, 
environmental organizations and value chain actors who 
are nowadays aware of the need to improve sustainability 
in individual economic sectors (Schmitt et al., 2014). The 
presented indicators, created on the basis of publicly available 
databases and already established internationally recognized 
indicators, as well as Slovenian and international scientific 
literature, represent a tool for the evaluation or comparison 
of livestock food supply chains at the aggregate level in the 
Republic of Slovenia.
The presented indicators of added value in livestock supply 
chains were defined as part of scientific research, which rep-
resents a theoretical design for the further development of a 
qualitative multi-criteria decision model for the assessment 
or evaluation of added value in supply chains, based on the 
DEX methodology. The three aspects of sustainability or 
added value (economic, social and environmental) represent 
the basic parameters of the model, or those variables that 
illustrate the subproblems of the decision problem, i.e. those 
factors that define the quality of variants (Jereb et al., 2003). 
An individual parameter consists of individual criteria or 
attributes represented by defined indicators of added value.
When describing individual indicators, the very meth-
odology of data use and the definition of added values is 
particularly important, as our goal is for the indicators or 
a derived a multi-criteria decision model, could be used in 
the future for data analysis or the evaluation of added value 
in different periods of time. The key is the methodology of 
using statistical data in a multi-criteria decision model and 
the definition of value stocks that enable the evaluation of 
an individual supply chain.
A main problem is the acquisition of data and the 
creation of indicators of added value for all further stages 
of the food chain (processing, distribution, trade), since only 
these are not publicly available or cannot be obtained from 
public collections of statistical data. A consequence of the 
gap in data availability is that the presented indicators are 
primarily intended to evaluate the position of the primary 
sector (farmers) in each chain, especially in terms of the 
economic and social aspect of added value.
CONCLUSIONS
The main objective of the indicators presented is to create a 
scientific research tool that enables or facilitates continuous 
monitoring of changing trends in the achievement of added 
value in individual food supply chains at the physical level, 
while allowing for the mutual comparison of the presence 
of added value in different livestock chains. The indicators 
presented reflect important sustainability issues in the food 
supply chain and should be analysed in conjunction with 
other issues. The property of all presented indicators is that 
they enable the evaluation of the added value of individual 
food supply chains in different periods of time, with the only 
limitation being the accessible time series of statistical data. 
This is important from the point of view of the development of 
a qualitative multi-criteria decision model for the assessment 
or evaluation of added value in the supply chain, based on the 
DEX methodology. When building a multi-criteria decision 
model DEX, the three aspects of sustainability or added value 
(economic, social and environmental) represent the basic 
parameters of the model, or those variables that illustrate the 
sub-problems of the decision problem, i.e. those factors that 
define the quality of variants.
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APPENDIX
Table 1: Methodology of indicators and data sources
Indicator Methodology Data Source
Economic Indicators
Ratio between 
producer price of 
agricultural product 
and agricultural input 
price
Average (year to year) ratio between producer agricultural 
producer price index and agricultural input price index at 
annual level:
Z = average (year to year) ratio in n years
X (ratio in each year) = producer price index of agricultural 
product / input price index total
Z = (X1 + X2 +...+ Xn) / n
Statistical Office of the Republic of Slovenia (SURS)
• Producer price indices of agricultural products 
(average 2015=100), Slovenia, annualy
• Agricultural input price indices (average 
2015=100), Slovenia, annually
Change in the retail 
price ratio and the 
cost price
Average (year to year) change in the ratio of the average 
retail selling price of agricultural products to the cost price, 
at the annual level in %:
Z = average annual change in ratio in n years
X (ratio in each year) = retail selling price / cost price
Y (change in ratio between consecutive years, %) =
((X – X-1) / X-1)*100
Z = (Y1 + Y2 +...+ Yn) / n
Statistical Office of the Republic of Slovenia (SURS)
• Average retail prices of goods and services, 
Slovenia, annually
The Agricultural Institute of Slovenia (KIS)
• Model calculations (Analytical calculation - 
animal husbandry)
Ratio between price 
of purchased products 
and the cost price
Average (year to year) ratio between average prices of 
purchased agricultural products and the cost price:
Z = average (year to year) ratio in n years
X (ratio in each year) = buying-in price / cost price
Z = (X1 + X2 +...+ Xn) / n
Statistical Office of the Republic of Slovenia (SURS)
• Quantities and average prices of purchased 
agricultural products, Slovenia, annually
The Agricultural Institute of Slovenia (KIS)
• Model calculations (Analytical calculation - 
animal husbandry)
Ratio between Slove-
nian and EU market 
price
Average (multi-annual) ratio of average market prices in 
Slovenia to average market prices in the EU
Z = average (multi-year) ratio in n years
X (annual ratio) = average market price in SLO / average 
market price in the EU
Z = (X1 + X2 +...+ Xn) / n
Agency for Agricultural Markets and Rural Devel-
opment (ARSKTRP)
• Weekly market reports
Import-export ratio
Average (year to year) ratio of the quantities of goods 
imported and exported in each chain at an aggregate level 
in %:
Z = average (year to year) ratio in n years
X (ratio) = quantities of goods imported / quantities of goods 
exported
Z = (X1+X2+...+Xn) / n
Statistical Office of the Republic of Slovenia (SURS)
• Exports and imports by 4-digit code of the 
Combined Nomenclature and by countries, 
Slovenia, 2010 – 2019
• Exports and imports by 4-digit code of the 
Combined Nomenclature and by countries, 
Slovenia, annually (cummulative data)

Expressing Added Value in Food Supply Chains
36
Indicator Methodology Data Source
Change in the ratio 
between the purchase 
price and retail selling 
price
Average (annual) change in the purchase price to retail price 
in %:
Z = average annual change in ratio in n years
X (ratio in each year) = purchase price / retail selling price
Y (change in ratio between consecutive years, %) =
((X – X-1) / X-1)*100
Z = (Y1 + Y2 +...+ Yn) / n
Statistical Office of the Republic of Slovenia (SURS)
• Quantities and average prices of purchased 
agricultural products, Slovenia, annually
• Average retail prices of goods and services, 
Slovenia, annually
Social Indicators
Ratio of average gross 
earnings of primary 
producers in each 
chain to average gross 
earnings in agriculture
Average (year to year) ratio between average gross earnings 
in each production chain and average gross earnings in 
Slovenia:
Z = average (year to year) ratio in n years
X (ratio in each year) = gross earnings in each chain / gross 
earnings in agriculture total
Z = (X1 + X2 +...+ Xn) / n
Statistical Office of the Republic of Slovenia (SURS)
• Average monthly earnings and index of average 
monthly earnings by legal persons by activities 
[NACE Rev. 2], Slovenia, monthly
Change in the ratio 
between the workforce 
in each chain and 
the workforce in all 
activities in Slovenia
Average annual change in the ratio of the employment 
population in each chain to the persons in employment 
in all activities in Slovenia total, in % (as compared to the 
situation in year q):
Z = average annual change in ratio in q years
X (ratio in each year) = workforce in each activity/ workforce 
in all activities total
Y (change in n years in %) = ((Xn – Xq) / Xq) * 100
Z = Y / q
Statistical Office of the Republic of Slovenia (SURS)
• Persons in employment by activities (NACE 
Rev. 2) and by employment status, Slovenia, 
annually
Ratio between the 
change in the level 
of salery and the 
change in the level of 
consumer prices
Average (multi-month) ratio of the wage index in each 
agricultural activity to the consumer price index:
Z = average (multi-year) ratio in n months
X (month-specific ratio) = index of earnings in each activity / 
index of consumer prices
Z = (X1 + X2 +...+ Xn) / n
Statistical Office of the Republic of Slovenia (SURS)
• Average monthly earnings and index of average 
monthly earnings by legal persons by activities 
[NACE Rev. 2], Slovenia, monthly
• Consumer price indices by ECOICOP classifica-
tion, Slovenia, monthly
Self-sufficiency rate
Average self-sufficiency rate of individual products or 
sector-specific products:
Z = average self-sufficiency in n years
Y = self-sufficiency level in year x
Z = (Y1 + Y2 +...+ Yn) / n
The Agricultural Institute of Slovenia (KIS)
• Reports on the state of agriculture (Report 
on the state of agriculture, food, forestry and 
fisheries)
Employment ratio of 
women and men in 
each activity in the 
chain
Average (multi-annual) ratio of the number of women and 
men employed in each activity or at each stage in the chain 
in %: 
Z = average (multi-year) ratio in n years
X (ratio in a given year) = number of women employed / 
number of men employed
Z = (X1 + X2 +...+ Xn) / n
Statistical Office of the Republic of Slovenia (SURS)
• Persons in employment by activity (NACE Rev. 
2), educational attainment and sex, Slovenia, 
annually
Gender pay gap
Average (year to year) ratio between the amount of women's 
average earnings and the amount of the average salary of 
men in each activity or at each stage in the chain in %:
Z = average (year to year) ratio in n years
X (ratio in each year) = amount of women's salary / salary 
level of men
Z = (X1 + X2 +...+ Xn) / n
Statistical Office of the Republic of Slovenia (SURS)
• Gender pay gap by activity (Nace Rev. 2), 
Slovenia, annually
Table 1: Methodology of indicators and data sources (cont.)

Expressing Added Value in Food Supply Chains
37
Indicator Methodology Data Source
Environmental Indicators
Food milles
Food milles – average route/distance of imports in the last 
10 years, route or distance is calculated according to the 
distance between Ljubljana and the capital of each import 
country and the share of imports from each country:
Share of imports from each country = quantity of imports 
from each country / quantity of imports from all countries 
total 
Length of imports from each country in the share of total 
imports = share of imports from each country * distance 
(between Ljubljana and the capital of that country, in km) 
Sum of import lengths from each country as a proportion of 
total imports
Average distance transported in each chain (in km) = Sum 
of import lengths from each country in proportion of total 
imports / 100
Statistical Office of the Republic of Slovenia (SURS)
• Exports and imports by 4-digit code of the 
Combined Nomenclature and by countries, 
Slovenia, 2010 – 2019
• Exports and imports by 4-digit code of the 
Combined Nomenclature and by countries, 
Slovenia, annually (cummulative data)
Change in the ratio 
between the native 
breeds of animals 
and all breed animals 
combined
Average (year to year) change in the proportion of all farmed 
animals of the indigenous breeds of each species compared 
to all animals reared in each species in %:
Z = average year to year change in ratio in n years
X (ratio in each year) = number of indigenous animals (indi-
vidual species) / number of all animals (individual species)
Y (change in ratio between consecutive years, %) = 
((X – X-1) / X-1)*100
Z = (X + X-1 +...+ Xn) / n
Statistical Office of the Republic of Slovenia (SURS)
• Number of livestock, Slovenia, annually
Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Food
• Breed register with zootechnical assessment
Change in the number 
of farms included in 
the animal welfare 
sub-measure
Average year to year change in the number of livestock 
farms included in the animal welfare sub-measure, in %:
Z = average year to year change in the number of farms (%)
X (in each year = number of farms included in the 
sub-measure
Y (change in number of farms between consecutive years, %) 
= ((X – X-1) / X-1)*100
The Agricultural Institute of Slovenia (KIS)
• Reports on the state of agriculture (Report 
on the state of agriculture, food, forestry and 
fisheries)
Change in the ratio 
of organically breed 
animals
Average year to year change in the proportion of organically 
reared animals of each species compared to all farmed 
animals of that species in %:
Z = average annual change in ratio
X (ratio in each year) = number of EC animals (individual 
species) / number of all animals (individual species)
Y (change in ratio between consecutive years, %) =  
((X – X-1) / X-1)*100
Z = (X + X-1 +...+ Xn) / n
The Agricultural Institute of Slovenia (KIS)
• Reports on the state of agriculture (Report 
on the state of agriculture, food, forestry and 
fisheries)
Table 1: Methodology of indicators and data sources (cont.)

Expressing Added Value in Food Supply Chains
38
Table 2: Description and meaning of indicators
Indicator Description and Meaning off Indicator
Economic Indicators
Ratio between producer 
price of agricultural 
product and agricultural 
input price
This indicator shows the change in the producer price of agricultural products on an annual basis compared to 
the prices of agricultural inputs.
The added value for the primary producer in the chain occurs if, during the period analysed, input prices 
have increased more slowly than those of agricultural products by producers. All value ratios greater than 1,00 
represent added value for primary producer. This ratio between the producer's price of the agricultural product 
and the price of agricultural inputs also applies sensibly to other stakeholders in the chain (the added value for 
the stakeholder in the chain occurs if, during the analyzed period, input prices have increased slower than the 
prices of its products).
Change in the retail price 
ratio and the cost price
This indicator shows the average annual change in the ratio between the average retail selling price of 
agricultural products and the cost price of agricultural products during the selected period analysed, expressed 
as a percentage (%).
Value added in the chain (from primary producer to consumer) occurs if the average annual change in ratio is 
positive, i.e. during the selected period the retail selling price of the agricultural product increased faster than 
its own production costs during the selected period. 
Ratio between price of 
purchased products and 
the cost price
This indicator shows the ratio between the average price of purchased agricultural products and the cost price, 
i.e. the price necessary for the production or production of these products.
The added value for the primary producer in each chain occurs if, during the selected period, the prices of 
purchased agricultural products were higher than the cost price. Given that the objective of each producer is 
to make a profit, it is very important that the turnover is higher than the cost of production itself or that the 
value of the ratio is greater than 1,00.
Ratio between Slovenian 
and EU market price
This indicator shows the ratio of the average market price of agricultural products in each chain on the 
Slovenian market to the EU market.
Value added in chains occurs if the market price of the products in each (selected) country was equal to or 
higher than the average price on the EU market, or if the value of the ratio was equal to or greater than 1,00. 
Import-export ratio This indicator shows the average annual correlation between the import and export of goods in each chain 
over the selected period analysed.
Value added in the chain occurs if, during the period chosen, the ratio between imports and exports of 
products in each chain was equal or less than 1,00, which means that the quantities of goods exported 
prevailed over the quantities of imported goods.
Change in the ratio 
between the purchase 
price and retail selling 
price
This indicator shows the average annual change in the ratio between the average purchase price of agricultur-
al products and the retail selling price of agricultural products in the selected period analysed, expressed as a 
percentage (%).
The added value for the primary producer in the chain occurs if the average annual change in ratio is positive, 
i.e. during the period selected, the purchase price of the agricultural product increased faster than the retail 
selling price of the product. 
Social Indicators
Ratio of average gross 
earnings of primary 
producers in each chain 
to average gross earnings 
in agriculture
This indicator shows the ratio between the average gross earnings of primary producers in each chain and the 
average gross earnings in agriculture in the Republic of Slovenia.
The added value for the primary producer in each chain (beef production, pork production, dairy production) 
occurs if, during the selected period, its average earnings were equal to or higher than the average salary in 
primary agricultural sector or if the value of the ratio was equal to or greater than 1,00.
Change in the ratio 
between the workforce 
in each chain and the 
workforce in all activities 
in Slovenia
This indicator shows the change in the annual ratio between the number of working-age populations in each 
of the chains considered (beef production, pork production, dairy production) and the number of all work-
ing-age populations in the Republic of Slovenia in each year.
It shows the trend of changing the structure of the workforce in each chain in the selected period compared to 
the total workforce in Slovenia. The added value is given if the trend of changing the proportion is positive in 
relation to the status or value of the ratio in the selected base year.
Ratio between the change 
in the level of salery and 
the change in the level of 
consumer prices
This indicator shows the ratio of changes in the level of wages in each agricultural activity and changes in 
the level of consumer prices. Changes in salaries and consumer prices are expressed in indices. All indices are 
calculated as the ratio between the current and the previous months.
The added value for the primary producer in each chain (beef production, pork production, dairy production) 
occurs if, during the period chosen, the amount of their salary increased faster than the price of the consumer 
price or if the value of the ratio was equal to or greater than 1,00.

Expressing Added Value in Food Supply Chains
39
Indicator Description and Meaning off Indicator
Self-sufficiency rate This indicator shows the level of self-sufficiency with beef, pork and dairy in the Republic of Slovenia. The 
self-sufficiency rate shows the extent to which domestic production (from basic domestic product) covers 
domestic consumption (feed, food and industrial consumption). Value added in the chain occurs if the self-suf-
ficiency rate is high, at least 75 %.
Employment ratio of 
women and men in each 
activity in the chain
Value added in the chain is given if the number of employees by gender at each stage or activities in the chain 
is harmonised during the selected period or the value of the ratio is (approximately) equal to 1,00.
Gender pay gap This indicator shows the average gap between the amount of male and female salaries of employees in individ-
ual activities or at individual levels in the agri-food chain.
The added value in the chain is given if the level of salary at each stage in the chain or in each activity during 
the selected period was the same high for both sexes. In this case, the desired value of the ratio between the 
amount of the woman's salary is 1,00.
Environmental Indicators
Food milles The route or distance carried out on average transport on imports of products in a particular chain is an 
important indicator of the sustainability of the chain itself, since transport has a significant impact on CO2 
emissions, the welfare of live animals in transport, the freshness of the products,... The added value in the 
chain is given if the average transport route was more than 300 km.
Change in the ratio 
between the native breeds 
of animals and all breed 
animals combined
This indicator shows the average annual change in the proportion of native breeds in the common breed 
composition of a particular breed animal species. The purpose of this indicator is to calculate by the extent 
to which the proportion of farmed animals of native breeds of each species changes on average each year 
compared to the total population of that species.
The added value in each chain is given if the value of the average change in the proportion between the 
number of animals of native breeds and the number of animals breed during the selected period was positive, 
which means that the proportion of animals of native breeds in each chain increased over the selected period. 
Change in the number 
of farms included in 
the animal welfare 
sub-measure
This indicator shows the average annual change in the number of livestock holdings included in the animal 
welfare sub-measure. The purpose of this indicator is to calculate by the extent to which the number of 
holdings included in the animal welfare sub-measure changes on average each year.
The added value in a given chain is given if the value of the average annual changes over the selected period 
was positive, which means that during this period the number of farms included in the animal welfare 
sub-measure increased.
Change in the ratio of 
organically breed animals
This indicator shows the change in the proportion of organically breed animals of each animal species 
compared to all animals breed by individual years. The purpose of this indicator is to calculate by the extent 
to which the share of organically breed animals of each species changes on average each year compared to the 
total population of that species.
The added value in each chain is given if the value of the average annual changes over the selected period was 
positive, which means that the share of organically breed animals in each chain increased over the selected 
period.
Table 2: Description and meaning of indicators (cont.)

Expressing Added Value in Food Supply Chains
40
Izražanje dodane vrednosti v verigah preskrbe s hrano
IZVLEČEK
Agroživilske verige z dodano vrednostjo so verige, ki ohranjajo pozitivne družbene, okoljske in skupnostne vrednote, vključene v 
proizvodni proces od primarnega pridelovalca do končnega potrošnika in zagotavljajo ekonomsko oziroma socialno vzdržnost ter 
okoljsko trajnost, s čimer predstavljajo obliko trajnostnega agroživilskega proizvodnega sistema. Vrednotenje dodane vrednosti 
v posamezni verigi temelji na kazalnikih, ki predstavljajo orodje za merjenje sprememb dejanskega stanja oziroma prikaz 
trendov uspešnosti doseganja zastavljenega napredka oziroma ciljev. Predstavljeni kazalniki so oblikovani na podlagi javno 
dostopnih statističnih podatkov in tuje literature ter omogočajo vrednotenje dodane vrednosti v različnih živinorejskih verigah 
na agregatni ravni (govedorejska, prašičerejska in mlečna veriga) in temeljijo na razpoložljivih javno dostopnih statističnih 
podatkih v Republiki Sloveniji. Potreba po oblikovanju kazalnikov dodane vrednosti v živinorejskih agroživilskih verigah izhaja 
iz velikih razlik v strukturnih spremembah sektorja in razvitosti ter gospodarske uspešnosti različnih živinorejskih panog.
Ključne besede: veriga preskrbe s hrano, dodana vrednost, indikatorji, trajnost, gospodarski, družbeni in okoljski vidik