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The article examines the issues of the current state of foreign trade in finished food products. It has been established that in the context of a significant increase in the export of agro-food products, the share of finished food products, that is, products with high added value, is gradually decreasing in its composition. The completeness of the study is based on the use of methods and techniques of the economic analysis. The paper proposes in all aspects of the study to use the division of finished food products into two parts depending on their final purpose: human food products (commodity groups 16 - 22) and products that are not such (commodity groups 23 - 24). This approach makes it possible to establish that the export of finished food products is growing only due to a significant increase in sales of products that are not used in human nutrition - residues and waste from the food industry, tobacco and industrial tobacco substitutes. In recent years, it has been the main component in the export of finished food products. Imports of finished food products, which are growing much faster than exports, food products dominate, which may indicate insufficient food production and emerging problems of supplying the domestic market. Studies of the geography of finished food products flows show significant changes - the CIS countries have given way of the largest importer to the countries of the European Union and Asia. In the course of the analysis, the features of export-import operations in individual regions of the world were established, taking into account changes in the commodity structure. An assessment of the effectiveness of foreign trade in finished food products has been given. It has been concluded that the result of export-import transactions with human food products is a negative balance, which is covered by a significant positive balance in trade in goods of commodity group 23. The study shows that the formation of a negative balance in food products trade takes place due to differences in the quality and nomenclature of exported and imported products, as a result of which import prices significantly exceed export prices. In addition, the growth of imports of a number of goods occurs in the context of a decrease in domestic production and related exports. The negative balance in recent years has reached such volumes that it is realistic to speak only of a decrease in this amount. On the basis of the research carried out, recommendations have been presented for increasing exports and reducing imports for goods of some commodity groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]